Context, Context, and Context

When people cite verses from the Book of James, often times they cite them from our text–the middle portion of James chapter 4. Not only do we often hear the words of James 4:8, “draw near to God and he will draw near to you,” used as an evangelistic appeal (incorrectly, I might add), but many Christians are familiar with the verses “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6) and “resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). It is remarkable how often these verses are lifted from their context and used in ways in which James likely did not intend. Therefore, it is important to treat these verses in the overall context of James’ epistle, so as to understand them correctly, because these verses not only warn us of the danger of allying ourselves with the world, and judging others, but these same verses also direct us to seek the grace of God, which he has freely promised to give us in the person of his son.

We now come to James chapter 4. Since we have much ground to cover–even though there are only nine verses in our passage–I want to briefly put this section of James into context before we get started. With the Book of James context is everything. It is very important that we understand the background to this letter as we work through it. We also need to keep in mind the purpose for which this letter was written, as well as the date and background of the author, who in this case, is the brother of our Lord Jesus Christ, and who is writing to persecuted Jewish Christians scattered throughout Palestine and Syria.

Based upon the various exhortations we find in the Book of James, we can see some of the issues which were troubling the congregations to which he is writing. James recounts how professing Christians were discriminating against the poor and showing favoritism to the rich. James tells us why it is so important for us to tame our tongues (because our words can be so destructive), as well as explaining why we must seek wisdom from above (so that we do not rely upon the wisdom of this age). James has warned us of the dangers of worldliness, which is thinking and acting like those non-Christians who were persecuting the churches. In chapter 4, James addresses the question of Christian behavior in terms of considering our fundamental alliance with God and his saving purposes in Jesus Christ. If we are allied with God through faith in Christ, we cannot behave as though we were allied with those who hate the gospel.

The Fruit of Justifying Faith

As James has already established in chapters 1 and 2, good works are the fruit of justifying faith. While God has brought us forth from death to life through the preaching of the gospel (James 1:18), and then implanted that word within us (1:21), James has also pointed out how evil passions remain within every Christian even after they come to faith in Christ (4:1). Christians must continue to struggle against these passions and strive to obey the commandments of God (4:1 ff). While the law of God exposes our sins and demonstrates that we are law-breakers (2:10), once we trust in Jesus Christ (who has died for all our sins and whose own perfect law-keeping is credited to us through faith), the commandments of God reveal to us those things we must do, now that we are Christians (2:12). This is what James means when he exhorts us to be doers of the word, and not mere “hearers” only (1:22). Christians must strive to obey the commandments of God, and in doing so, we “do” those good works which are the proof that we have placed our trust in Christ. This is what James is getting at when he says that we are not justified by faith alone, but that our faith in Christ is completed by our good works.

A Sudden Change in Tone – You Adulterous People!

Keeping all of this in mind, we pick up with our text, James 4:4-12, where we find a number of familiar biblical passages. In a number of places earlier in this epistle, James has spoken of his readers and hearers as either “brothers” or even “dear” brothers. But suddenly in verse 4 of chapter 4, James abruptly speaks of his readers as “You adulterous people!” In speaking in such a direct and confrontational way, James is directing his largely Jewish audience back to one of the major sub-plots of redemptive-history. Throughout the Old Testament, YHWH is described as Israel’s husband. Take, for example, a passage such as Isaiah 54:5-6. “For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called. For the Lord has called you like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit, like a wife of youth when she is cast off, says your God.”

Since YHWH is Israel’s husband (in a spiritual sense, prefiguring the relationship that Jesus Christ has to his church which is his bride), and since the nation of Israel is YHWH’s wife, whenever Israel disobeys YHWH, or engages in those idolatrous practices typical of the pagans around them, the people of Israel are charged with engaging in spiritual adultery. This is a major theme in the writings of the prophets and comes to the fore in the prophecy of Hosea, in which Hosea is commanded to marry an unfaithful prostitute (Gomer), whose behavior serves as an illustration of Israel’s own spiritual condition at the time of the Babylonian Captivity.

During his messianic mission, Jesus uses this imagery and in several places in the gospels Jesus speaks of unbelieving Israel as an “adulterous” generation. In Matthew 12:39 we read, “But he answered [the scribes and pharisees], `An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.’” And then in Matthew 16:4, Jesus says the exact same thing in reference to the Sadducees and Pharisees. Upon hearing James read aloud, members of these churches would have understood James’s reference to “you adulterous people” to be a reference to all those who–despite their profession of faith in “the Lord of Glory”–were nevertheless cheating on YHWH by allying themselves with those persecuting believers. To use the language of James, those who were hearers of the word only are now accused of spiritual adultery just as the prophets had charged Israel.[1]

No doubt, James’s readers would certainly make the connection between the conduct James was condemning in the churches (discriminating against the poor, favoring the rich, speaking ill of each other, fighting, quarreling, and allowing their sinful passions to run unchecked) and the behavior of Israel which brought down the covenant curses upon the nation from YHWH. In using this imagery of spiritual adultery, James is making sure his readers understand the gravity of continuing on without heeding his warning to seek wisdom from above so as to stop behaving in such a sinful and self-centered manner. When God’s people leave him for the affections of another (the world), they are committing spiritual adultery. Such people risk coming under God’s covenant curse.

A Warning About Friendship With the World

James reinforces his point in the last two clauses of verse 4, when James connects his reference to “spiritual adultery” to the worldliness found throughout these congregations. “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” The serious charge (spiritual adultery) now comes into even sharper focus when we consider the role that friendship played in the ancient world. To be “friends” in our culture simply refers to a casual/informal relationship between people who have common interests. But to be friends in James’s day and age meant that the two parties (professing Christians and the non-Christians who were persecuting them) were ideologically connected. “Friends” share a deep and abiding unity. Someone who professes faith in Christ, but who is friends with the world (those who hate the gospel and persecute the church of Jesus) has made himself an enemy of God. Those who profess faith in Christ, but manifest the same kind of behavior as that shown by those persecuting the faithful, have made friends with the world, risk becoming enemies of God. They may find themselves coming under the covenant curses just as with Israel. Let me put it yet another way. Those who profess to have faith in Christ, cannot live like pagans without risking becoming an enemy of God.

Obviously, James is speaking rhetorically here. This is clear from the context. There is no evidence that anyone in these churches was actively working with those who were persecuting Christians. In fact, the evidence seems to show that the people whom James is calling spiritual adulterers, who risk becoming enemies of God, were professing Christians–people who were themselves suffering persecution from those outside the church. The issue is that these people were acting like those outside the church who hate the gospel. To be very specific, James is referring to those who were not struggling to tame their tongues, whose sinful passions went unchecked leading to jealousy and quarrels, and who were openly discriminating against the poor while favoring the rich. In other words, to remain a hearer only, to have faith but no works, to allow our sinful passions to go unchecked, is to ally ourselves with God’s enemies and engage in spiritual idolatry. Such people are “friends of the world.”

In the fundamentalist circles in which I was raised, worldliness was often defined in terms of humanly-devised blue laws, which changed from church to church, and which usually had very little to do with Scripture, specifically the Ten Commandments. According to many fundamentalists, “worldly” people smoked and drank, they went to movies, they had non-Christian friends, they had poor quiet-times, etc. But for James, worldliness is a much more comprehensive category than acting in a way which offends those who invent their own rules of conduct.

For James, a “worldly” person is someone who hears, but does not do. A worldly person is someone who does not tame their tongue, nor make any effort to control their sinful passions. A worldly person is someone who discriminates against the poor and who favors the rich. For James then, worldliness is a term used of someone who make no effort to conform their behavior to the law of God. Someone who professes faith in Christ, but then is characterized by jealousy, bitterness, lack of concern for the poor, self-interest, etc., is “worldly.” If true, this means that the struggle against worldliness is something in which we all must engage as part of the on-going process of sanctification. We cannot reduce worldliness to a list of “blue-laws” or to a label we throw at people whose conduct we don’t approve. No, the sinful passions within us all manifest themselves in the sins which James has described. And for James, those sinful passions, if left unchecked, result in “worldliness.”

God Is Jealous Regarding His People

Having invoked the image of YHWH as Israel’s husband, and having made the point that to behave as a non-Christian is to open the door to spiritual adultery and become a friend of the world, in verse 5 James now invokes the image of God’s righteous jealousy. “Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, `He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us?’” Here, we must be very careful not to understand jealousy in the sense of a sinful human passion, arising from our own insecurities and anger. When the word jealousy is applied to God, as it is here, we must understand the word in the sense that God demands complete and total allegiance from his people, those whom he has sovereignly brought forth through the preaching of the gospel, and in whom he has implanted his word, and who profess faith in Jesus Christ.[2] Having done all of this for his people, God desires our loyalty. In fact, he demands our loyalty. James can appeal to the entire Old Testament (i.e.,the graphe, “Scripture”) in support of his main argument that when our spirits (our person and orientation) turn away from him toward the world, his holy jealously is aroused.[3] Because God has called us forth from death unto life, he also calls us to be faithful to him and his revealed will. God is grieved when we turn away from his word, and make friends with those who oppose his gospel and his purposes. And we make friends with those who oppose him by engaging in that conduct which James has exhorted us to cease.

God Opposes the Proud But Give Grace to the Humble

Christians will strive not to commit spiritual adultery, and we will wage war against the passions of the flesh. But while we struggle against our sinful passions, James now gives struggling sinners a word of hope in verse 6. “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, `God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’” Because God is jealous for our spiritual allegiance, he is willing to give us grace, indeed more grace. This is but another way of saying that in the gospel, God freely gives to us what he demands of us under the law. God has called us to “do”, not just “hear.” God calls us to control our sinful passions. God calls us to be faithful to him and not to become friends of the world. Because God calls us to do these things, he is always willing to give us more grace.

In fact, James cites from Proverbs 3:34 when he states God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. The proud are people who don’t think they need God’s grace. These are folk who think they are fine just as they are. These are people who hear James’s exhortations and then say to themselves, “that applies to so and so, but not to me . . .” God opposes such people. These are the folk who risk becoming God’s enemies. These are people who hear but do not do, and who see no reason to tame their tongues or control their sinful passions. The proud do think they need grace. But God opposes them.

Yet to the poor struggling sinner, who sees their need for grace and who act in true humility by seeking the grace of God, God will give them all the grace they need. God does not call us to “do” without giving us the grace which enables us to do. God does not call us to control our sinful passions and then leave us to our own devices. God gives grace to the humble. While James does not go into the specifics as to how God gives us grace, since James has already told us that God brings us forth through the word, it is not a stretch to conclude that God gives us grace through the preaching of the gospel, and through the administration of the sacraments (the sign and seal of what is promised in the gospel).

Submit to God and Resist the Devil

Having reminded the struggling sinner of God’s willingness to give us grace, James gives us a series of commands which flow out of James’s citation of Proverbs 3:34. Since God gives grace to the humble while opposing the proud, Christians are to humble themselves.[4] As James puts it in verse 7, “Submit yourselves therefore to God.” The logic of this is easy to follow. God gives grace to the humble. This grace is God’s means of enabling us to “do” the word. Therefore, we need to submit to God, so as to receive the grace we need to do what God requires of us. Submission, in this case, is an act of acknowledging God’s authority over us, along with a renewed commitment to accept the grace offered to us, with the goal of being more than a mere “hearer” of the word, but “a doer.”

The second clause of the verse is the familiar exhortation, “resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Grammatically, James is telling us that we submit to God’s authority, in part, when we resist the devil[5]. Practically speaking we are exhorted to resist the devil, who is the father of lies and the source of all heresy. Understand that the devil does not make us sin. Whenever you see the image of the devil whispering something in someone’s ear, while an angel whispers something else in the other ear, this completely misses the mark. We sin because we have sinful passions. We sin because we are sinners. We whisper evil thoughts in our own ears! The “devil made me do it” defense is not only unbiblical, but people who think this way are setting themselves up for a tragic fall. Since the devil is the author of all falsehoods about God (and is heresy anything else but a falsehood about God?) we must resist him with the truth (correct doctrine). When we resist the devil’s purposes with sound doctrine and biblical truth, Satan will flee. This is why we must know the truth, and need not fear the devil.

Yet many Christians confuse James’s counsel about resisting the devil with the struggle against sin and temptation. The Bible never exhorts us to resist temptation. In fact, throughout the New Testament we are repeatedly exhorted to pray that we be delivered from temptation–which is a plea that God not allow us to be tempted in the first place. The Bible also repeatedly exhorts us to flee from temptation. Why is this? As James has so clearly pointed out, because we have sinful passions (i.e., a sinful nature), we are weak and prone toward giving in to sin when we are tempted. So, given how weak we are (because we are sinful), we must pray that we not be tempted, and when we are tempted, we must flee. The Christian who attempts to resist temptation almost always gives in. But when confronted by the lies of the devil, we are clearly commanded to resist him, and he (hating the truth) will flee from us. We must be very careful to have the right remedy against sin (we flee from temptation), and the devil (we resist him).

Draw Near to God

In verse 8, we come to the familiar command, “draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” Often times this verse is used as an evangelistic appeal–as though non-Christians have the ability to draw near to God, so that God sees their good efforts and responds by drawing near to the non-Christian who has taken the necessary first step toward God. Again, the passage has nothing to do with evangelism, nor is James saying that non-Christians have the ability to approach God on their own terms. In context, James is telling Christians that just as God gives grace to the humble, so too, if Christians draw near to God (the verb here is used throughout the Old Testament when God’s people approach God in worship), he will draw near to them.[6] This passage is a word of comfort to Christians, not an evangelistic appeal.

Such language is also used throughout the Prophets when God calls Israel to repent and “return” to him. This can be seen in a passage such as Malachi 3:7. “From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’” This is much the way James speaks here. Christians who are struggling with their speech, their sinful passions, etc., need to draw near to God with the hope and expectation that God will draw near to them. This is covenant language and is directly tied to the preceding, God’s promise to give grace to the humble. Again, the basic point is that God calls us to “do” and will not leave us on our own. All he asks of us–those whom he has already brought forth through the word–is that we draw near to him so that we receive more grace.

“You Sinners!”

In light of the grace God freely gives us, and in light of God’s promise to draw near to us when we return to him, James now commands us, “cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” Having called his readers “adulterers” now he calls them “double-minded,” (literally “double-souled”), which is a reference to someone who is torn between conflicting allegiances. This flows out of James’s earlier assertion that those who make no effort to restrain the flesh are acting like friends of the world.

Using language which echoes Old Testament passages about the ceremonial preparations made by Israel’s priests, Christians (whom James calls “sinners”) are to cleanse their hands (external) and purify their hearts (internal). We find similar language in Psalm 24:3-4, which is a reference to Christ’s sinless obedience. “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.” James’s point is simply that those who draw near to God must do so with the same attitude as Israel’s priests–with reverence and awe. God welcomes us into his presence. We can approach him without fear. And yet we must do so with a humble spirit. We do this by realizing that the only way our hands can be clean and our hearts be pure is through the blood and righteousness of Christ.

In verses 9-10, James uses a lament taken from the prophets, before returning to the subject of humility by repeating his previous comments. “Mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” Those who mourn and weep are those who have suffered God’s judgment (cf. Isaiah 15:2, Jeremiah 4:13). Those who do not repent and seek grace and wisdom from above, be warned. God will not allow this sinful behavior to go on with impunity. Believers must heed these warnings before it is too late. We must humble themselves, return to the Lord, and receive grace. We do so by remembering that in Christ our sins are forgiven and that in Christ alone we find the wisdom which God has graciously offered to us, his people.

Once again, James returns to the reason why we must tame our tongues. In verses 11-12 James tells the congregations,

Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

One of most tangible signs of sinful human nature is the ease with which we speak ill of others, and then self-righteously judge them using the same commandments which we ourselves cannot keep. Not only is this the very height of hypocrisy–who are we to judge anyone else?–because when we do so, we place ourselves above God’s law, rather than submitting to it. When we speak evil of our brothers and sisters, we have placed ourselves in a position of authority which belongs to God alone, and which we have no right to assume. We set ourselves up as judge, and then in self-righteousness condemn others. But, as James points out, this role belongs to God alone. The law is designed to expose our sins and to reveal to us what God expects of us now that we are Christians. The law was not given so that we can use it to make self-righteous pronouncements and judgments about others. Sinners must stop seeking to judge others, and instead humble ourselves before God, earnestly seeking that grace he so willingly and freely gives us in the person of Jesus Christ.

The Take Away . . .

As we read through this section of James we tend to be overwhelmed with the commands “to do” and the warnings about becoming an enemy of God. We are crushed by these words since all of us remain “friends of the world” to some degree. All of us are spiritual adulterers at heart. No one has avoided sinfully judged someone else using one of God’s commandments while the whole time we are breaking that command ourselves. We are all self-righteous hypocrites at heart. Human sin is not something which just goes away when we become Christians. James exposes our sin, he exhorts us to deal with it, he warns us of the seriousness of sin, and he tells us that we must cease from our sinful behavior.

Because James’s words here are so direct, we may miss the fact that this section of James is really all about grace. If only we humble ourselves, God gives us what we need–grace. In Jesus Christ—who always tamed his tongue, never spoke ill of others, who was zealous for God, and resisted the devil—our sins are forgiven, we are reckoned as righteous, and God enables us to fulfill what he has commanded of us. The whole point of this section of James is to remind us that God gives grace to sinners! So let us humble ourselves before God, and draw near to our Creator-Redeemer with proper reverence and awe. Let us never forget that in the person of Jesus Christ, God has given us wisdom and grace, and because of Christ’s death for us, and because his righteousness is imputed to us, we can freely enter God’s presence, where we are given everything we have ever needed. All we need do is humble ourselves, draw near to God, and there we will receive grace–indeed more grace!

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[1] Moo, The Letter of James, 186-187.

[2] Moo, The Letter of James, 188-190.

[3] Davids, The Epistle of James, 164.

[4] Moo, The Letter of James, 192.

[5] Davids, The Epistle of James, 165-166.

[6] Moo, The Letter of James, 193.

Article 7: Renewal to Repentance

For, in the first place, God preserves in those saints when they fall his imperishable seed from which they have been born again, lest it perish or be dislodged. Secondly, by his Word and Spirit he certainly and effectively renews them to repentance so that they have a heartfelt and godly sorrow for the sins they have committed; seek and obtain, through faith and with a contrite heart, forgiveness in the blood of the Mediator; experience again the grace of a reconciled God; through faith adore his mercies; and from then on more eagerly work out their own salvation with fear and trembling.

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Article Seven is, in many ways, a summation of what was set forth in the previous articles (four through six), where much of the biblical evidence regarding these questions was introduced. Serious sin (often called “backsliding”) is indeed an issue for some at various points in their Christian lives. As set out in these prior articles, Christians can and do fall into serious sin—usually through carelessness, temptation, or rebellion.

Many branches of the Christian family, especially the Arminians, at whom these “canons” are aimed, hold that genuine Christian believers can sever themselves from Christ, fall away, and be lost. Those who are Christ’s, but who commit the unpardonable sin, the sin which leads to death, or a final act of apostasy, will indeed suffer eternal loss just as any other unbeliever would.

The Reformed do not deny that Christians can fall into serious sin and suffer temporal loss, experience God’s fatherly discipline, and feel conviction of their sins through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. But the authors of the canons do not believe such people can suffer eternal loss. This is not because it is taught that the elect are strong enough, or so spiritually attuned, that they can hang on to the end. No, the Reformed doctrine of the “perseverance of the saints” grows out of a proper understanding of Jesus Christ’s work on behalf of those chosen by the Father, for whom the Son has died, and who have been called to faith and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit do not allow the elect to perish, and indeed the work of Jesus Christ as prophet, priest, and king is, in part, to preserve God’s chosen unto the end.

As the canons point out, the imperishable seed mentioned in 1 Peter 1:23, through which believers are born again, is exactly that—imperishable! The work of redemption is begun, sustained, and brought to fruition by the members of the Trinity through their joint (inseparable) actions. God will save all those whom he has chosen in Christ, Christ will save all those for whom he dies, and the Spirit will preserve all those whom he indwells (cf. Romans 8:28–30; Ephesians 1:13–14).

But the canons also address the pressing pastoral question associated with the doctrine of perseverance—where the theological rubber of this discussion meets the road, so to speak. How are those who stray or who fall into serious sin actually restored? The answer is simple—through the use of the ordinary means of grace, those things which should go on in church every Lord’s Day. This means attending to the Word preached and preparing to come to the Lord’s Table. This is where the Word and Spirit do their work of preserving God’s people unto the end in faith.

And what will those who seek to be restored discover when they engage the ordinary means of grace? The canons make this crystal clear. The Lord graciously “renews them to repentance so that they have a heartfelt and godly sorrow for the sins they have committed,” so that they “seek and obtain, through faith and with a contrite heart, forgiveness in the blood of the Mediator,” and because God is merciful, they will “experience again the grace of a reconciled God; through faith adore his mercies; and from then on more eagerly work out their own salvation with fear and trembling.”

Salvation, from beginning to end, is the work of a gracious God. Perseverance to the end is the work of that same gracious God.

I have long been interested in the doctrine of Antichrist, a fascinating subplot in redemptive history (see my book The Man of Sin ). If you know anything about me and the Riddleblog, you know that it is my contention that much of the Antichrist speculation of late strays very far afield from the biblical text. The reason for much of this speculative over-reaching is due to a preoccupation with geo-political events in the Middle East (especially the goings on in Israel and its neighbors) or fears about the potential destructive power of AI, should it fall into the hands of a maniacal end-times figure.

This Letter on Life and Times of the Antichrist was likely written in the mid–10th century (c. 950–954) by a Benedictine monk, Adso of Montier-en-Der, who was Abbot of the monastery of Montier-en-Der, in France. His work—a treatise written to Gerberga, the Saxon Queen of West Francia—is one of the most influential medieval treatments of apocalyptic expectation. Written in the style of the lives of the saints then popular (only in reverse since Antichrist is an “anti-saint”), Adso’s work was hugely popular, given the fact the critical edition of his treatise was based upon 171 manuscripts—demonstrating a wide distribution of copies. It did much to establish the future course of addressing the subject [1].

Adso lived during a time of increased eschatological speculation. The years he was active were those immediately prior to the end of the first millennium (1,000 CE)—a date which provoked all sorts of worries and apprehensions just as Y2K did in our own recent past.

Furthermore, the Roman church was struggling with corruption and bad-behavior among the highest ranks of the Papal court. The Holy Roman Empire was on its heels as well. Islam had pushed back the expanse of the Eastern part of the empire into fortified Byzantium. Regions which had long been “Christian” (e.g., Egypt, North Africa, the Levant, Asia Minor, and even most of Spain) had fallen to Islamic armies. There were also legions of war-like pagans beyond the Danube yet to be evangelized.

In the minds of those like Adso, these things were very likely harbingers of the return of Christ and the final judgment.

In explaining why he composed his treatise, Adso writes “to the most excellent queen, endowed with royal dignity, beloved of God and dear to all the saints, mother of monks and leader of holy women, my lady Queen Gerberga—Adso, the least of all your servants, wishes glory and everlasting peace.” He does so “to give you a certain account concerning Antichrist.”

His Letter addresses the following matters, many of which have been part and parcel of Antichrist speculation both before as well as since. I had heard much of this before in the evangelical circles of my youth, though more recent Antichrist speculation reflects American political tribalism and worries about the technological revolution.

Here are the main points from Adso’s letter to Queen Gerberga:

1). The Antichrist Has Historical Antecedents

This Antichrist, therefore, has many ministers of his wickedness, many of whom have already gone before in the world—such as Antiochus, Nero, and Domitian. Even now, in our own time, we know that there are many Antichrists. For whoever—whether layman, canon, or monk—lives contrary to justice, attacks the rule of his order, and blasphemes what is good, is an Antichrist and a minister of Satan.

2). He Will Be a Jew from the Tribe of Dan

Therefore, as our authorities say, Antichrist will be born from the people of the Jews, from the tribe of Dan, according to the prophecy which says: “Let Dan be a serpent in the way, a horned viper in the path.” For just as a serpent he will sit in the road and lie in the path, so that he may strike those who walk along the paths of justice, and kill them with the poison of his malice.

3. He Will Be human, Yet Indwelt by the Devil

And just as the Holy Spirit came into the womb of the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, overshadowed her with His power, and filled her with His divinity, so that she conceived of the Holy Spirit and what was born was divine and holy; so likewise the devil will descend into the mother of Antichrist, and will fill her entirely, surround her entirely, hold her entirely, and possess her wholly, within and without, so that—through the cooperation of a man with the devil—she will conceive, and what is born will be wholly wicked, wholly evil, wholly lost. Hence that man is called the son of perdition, because, as far as he is able, he will destroy the human race, and he himself will be destroyed at the end.

4). He Will Come from Babylon

Behold, you have heard how he will be born; hear also the place where he is to be born. For just as our Lord and Redeemer foresaw Bethlehem for Himself, that there He might assume humanity for us and deign to be born, so the devil knows a fitting place for that lost man who is called Antichrist, from which the root of all evils must spring—namely, the city of Babylon. For in this city, which was once renowned and glorious, a city of the Gentiles and the head of the kingdom of the Persians, Antichrist will be born. And in the cities of Bethsaida and Chorazin he is said to be nourished and to dwell—cities which the Lord reproaches in the Gospel, saying: “Woe to you, Bethsaida; woe to you, Chorazin.”

5). He Will Be Enabled By Occultists of All Manner

Antichrist will have magicians, sorcerers, diviners, and enchanters, who—being inspired by the devil—will nourish him and teach him in all iniquity, falsehood, and wicked arts. And evil spirits will be his leaders, his companions, and his inseparable associates. Then, coming to Jerusalem, he will slaughter by various torments all Christians whom he cannot convert to himself, and he will establish his seat in the holy temple. He will also restore the destroyed temple which Solomon built for God, rebuilding it to its former state; and he will circumcise himself and falsely claim to be the Son of Almighty God.

6). He Will Convert Kings and Princes

He will first convert kings and princes to himself, and then through them the other peoples. The places through which the Lord Jesus Christ walked he too will tread, and he will first destroy what the Lord had glorified; then he will send messengers and his own preachers throughout the whole world. His preaching and his power will extend from sea to sea, from the east to the west, from the north to the farthest regions.

7). He Will Perform False Signs and Wonders

He will also perform many signs, great and unheard‑of miracles. He will make fire come terribly from heaven; he will cause trees suddenly to blossom and to wither; he will cause the sea to be troubled and suddenly calmed; he will change natures into various forms; he will turn the courses of waters and their order; he will stir the air with many winds and disturbances; and he will perform other innumerable and astonishing wonders—even raising the dead in the sight of men—so that, if it were possible, even the elect may be led into error. For when even those who are perfect and elect of God see such great signs, they will hesitate whether he is the Christ who, according to the Scriptures, is to come at the end of the world, or not.

8). There Will Be a Period of Great Tribulation for Three and One-Half Years

Then there will be such tribulation as has never been upon the earth from the time when nations began to exist until that time. Then those who are in the field will flee to the mountains, saying: “Fall upon us,” and to the hills: “Cover us.” And whoever is upon the housetop will not come down into his house to take anything from it. Then every faithful Christian who is found will either deny God or—if he remains steadfast in the faith—will perish either by the sword, or by the fire of the furnace, or by serpents, or by beasts, or by any other kind of torment whatsoever. But this terrible and fearful tribulation will last three years and a half in the whole world. Then the days will be shortened for the sake of the elect. For unless the Lord had shortened the days, no flesh would have been saved.

9). He Appears Suddenly and Unexpectedly When Restraint Ceases (the Roman Empire Falls), and Then a Time Rebellion Occurs

Therefore Paul the Apostle says that Antichrist will not come into the world until the rebellion comes first—that is, until all the kingdoms have first departed from the Roman Empire, to which they had previously been subject. But this time has not yet come, because although we see the kingdom of the Romans destroyed in great part, nevertheless, as long as the kings of the Franks endure—who ought to hold the Roman Empire—the dignity of the Roman Empire will not wholly perish, because it will stand in its kings.

10). After His Destruction, the Lord Grants a Brief Respite (of Forty Days) Before the Final Judgment

You must also know that, after Antichrist has been killed, the day of judgment will not come immediately, nor will the Lord come at once to judgment. Rather, as we understand from the book of Daniel, the Lord will grant forty days to the elect, that they may do penance, because they were deceived by Antichrist. But after they have completed this penance, whatever span of time then follows until the Lord comes to judgment—no one knows; it remains in the disposition of God, who will judge the world at that hour which He appointed before the ages to be the time of judgment.

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The entire text of Adso’s treatise The Origin and Time of the Antichrist, has recently been translated by Jason Colavito. It makes for interesting reading,and is highly recommended.

[1] Bernard McGinn, Antichrist: Two Thousand Years of Human Fascination With Evil (New York: Columbia University Press, 2000), 100-103.

Dr. Scott Clark has written an historical, theological, pastoral, and devotional commentary on The Heidelberg Catechism. We have seen a fair bit of this material previewed on Scott’s Heidelblog over the years, but to have it assembled in a one volume commentary makes it an invaluable reference and accessible resource for anyone interested in the Reformed Confessions.

The need for a comprehensive and modern commentary on the beloved Heidelberg Catechism is obvious. There have been many previous efforts, to be sure, but Clark’s commentary treats the catechism in its historical context, and reflects Ursinus’s efforts to engage with long-standing and contemporary theological debate and conflict, while keeping the pastoral focus of the Catechism through consistently reminding us of our only comfort in life and in death (Q & A 1 of the Catechism).

This volume will long be the gold standard for comment upon the Catechism.

To read the updated resources on the Three Forms of Unity: click here:

The Pilgrim Journey

In many places, the Bible speaks of the Christian life as a pilgrimage. Paul describes the Christian life in terms of enduring this present evil age as we make our way to the glorious inheritance which is ours in the age to come (cf. Galatians 1:4, Ephesians 1:21). When our Lord Jesus calls and instructs his disciples, he uses images drawn from Israel’s Exodus from Egypt, in which Jesus promises that he will lead us from the bondage of the guilt and power of sin, into the promised land, which is our Sabbath rest in the presence of God. The Bible also tells us that we are citizens of two kingdoms–the city of man, and the heavenly kingdom. We live in the one, all the while we long for the other. There is something deep inside us that longs to reach our goal–the heavenly city and its temple.

As God’s people, we also long for God’s presence and favor. This is our hope and the realization of our heavenly citizenship. This gives meaning and purpose to our lives as we make our way towards our goal and final destination. The problem isn’t that we haven’t found what we are looking for–we have. The problem is that we won’t fully receive what we have found until we come to the end of our pilgrimage, and we are not there yet. This is why the biblical writers can depict the struggles of the Christian life as a pilgrim journey of sorts, as we make our way to that place for which we so eagerly long.

The Background to Psalm 84

Psalm 84 is attributed to the Sons of Korah. This Psalm is found in the third book of the Psalter and describes a pilgrimage to the city of Jerusalem to worship YHWH in his temple. Although the pilgrim motif takes many different forms in the Scriptures, one way it is depicted is in terms of a longing for fellowship with the living God. In the Old Testament we find this longing expressed by many of Israel’s prophets. During that period of redemptive history from the time of Israel’s release from captivity in Egypt to the forty years of wandering throughout the wilderness of the Sinai, the people of God long to enter the promised land of Canaan–for them a new Eden of sorts.

During the era of Joshua and the Judges, and then throughout the period of the united kingdom of Saul, David, and Solomon, God’s people desire to worship God in his temple, which they see as the visible sign of YHWH’s presence in the midst of his people. But once the kingdom is divided and Israel’s fortunes become bleak, God’s people find themselves longing for deliverance from the apostasy of the people, and from the wickedness of their religious leaders. The people of Israel long for deliverance from their enemies and for that time when Israel will once again live in peace, safety, and prosperity. It is not accidental that messianic prophecy flourishes during this time, as God’s people increasingly long for their promised Messiah.

A Major Shift in Perspective

In the New Testament, this same longing for God’s presence and his blessing takes a strikingly different form. With the coming of Jesus Christ, the biblical focus shifts away from the letter of the law written on two stone tablets, to the Holy Spirit. The focus also moves away from a building where God resides (the temple) to the church in which his Spirit indwells. Then too there is a shift away from fruitful vineyards, fields, and orchards (material blessing) toward heavenly blessings–the shift from dwelling in the promised land in peace and safety (Canaan), to union with Jesus of Nazareth (the true Israel). As Paul puts it in Galatians 4:4, now that the fullness of time has come, Jesus stepped out of the type and shadow of the Old Testament, fulfilling all of God’s promises. With the dawn of the messianic age, it is clear that Jesus is the true Israel and that we are his people. This is why in Matthew 12:6, Jesus says of himself, “I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.”

With the coming of Jesus (and the change in focus from anticipation to fulfillment), God draws near to us, his people. In Jesus Christ, God’s righteousness and salvation come to sinful men and women. Through faith we take hold of God’s promise that all of these blessings are now ours in Christ. Yet we also know that these blessings will not be fully realized until Jesus returns to raise the dead, judge the world, and make all things new. Until that great day dawns, we continue our pilgrimage to the promised land. This is why the Christian life and all of its struggles can be depicted as a journey, with those who are trusting in Christ as pilgrims making our journey to that good land which God has promised, and where at long last we will enter our rest. In light of this prominent biblical theme, a number of Reformed theologians have spoken of Christian theology in terms of a theology of pilgrims (theologia viatorum).[1] True indeed.

Longing for the presence and blessing of God is the theme of our two texts, Psalm 84 and Philippians 3. The author of Psalm 84 (one of the Sons of Korah) vividly describes how he longs to be in God’s temple because that is where God is present. As he contemplates these things, it brings him great joy and stirs a powerful longing within him to be in the presence of the Lord.

The Sons of Korah

The Sons of Korah have an interesting history. Originally, the Korahites were expert warriors, often assigned the task of guarding the campsites where God’s people resided as they moved throughout the wilderness of the Sinai desert. Later on, the Korahites assumed the more specialized duty of guarding the threshold of the tent of meeting. By the time of Solomon’s temple, the Sons of Korah–much like the sons of Asaph–were a guild of musicians who were devoted to the craft of composing sacred song.[2] In fact, twelve Psalms are attributed to these Sons of Korah.

The unknown author of the 84th Psalm writes like a homesick man. He is eager to return to that place for which his heart desires. He can’t wait to arrive at the place where YHWH is present. Three times in the Psalm, the author will speak of the blessedness–in fact, he pronounces a blessing upon his reader–of being near that place where God dwells in the midst of his people. The author’s entire focus in this Psalm is upon being in that place where he will enjoy the presence of the living God.

The First Stanza — the Distant Home

Psalm 84 is divided into three stanzas. In the first stanza–verses one through four–the author expresses his longing in terms of a journey to a distant home, as he describes the emotions of a man who is far away from that place where his true affections are directed.

In verse 1, the Psalmist describes the temple of God as “lovely,” or more literally as “dear or beloved.” “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!” The language used here is that typical of love poetry,[3] and recalls to mind prominent themes found in other Psalms of the Sons of Korah, namely Psalm 42:4, where we read, “these things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival.” The unknown author of this Psalm obviously delights in fulfilling his role as a musician in Solomon’s temple, the place where God dwells. His mind is full of memories of the grand processional as the people make their way to the temple, a time of great joy, and thanksgiving. He can’t wait to see the grand procession go up to the house of the Lord just one more time.

Contrast this with the greater light of the New Testament. The temple where God dwells is composed of living stones, his redeemed people, who are now described as the mystical body of Jesus Christ, which is his church. As Paul puts it in 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?” The Psalmist delights in God’s temple, for that is where God is present with his people. The New Testament equivalent of the Psalmist’s desire to be in the temple, is the delight we feel when we assemble together with our brothers and sisters to worship the Triune God, since together, we individually and collectively are Christ’s temple, the dwelling place of the blessed Holy Spirit.[4]

The Courts of the Lord

The very thought of the dwelling place of the Lord stirs the heart of the Psalmist. In verse 2 he writes, “My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.” But make no mistake about it, it is not the Psalmist’s attachment to a building–the stone and mortar–that stirs his soul. The living God is the object of his longing. The author longs for the temple courts because God himself is present there. In fact, the providential care that God has for his creatures–evident in the temple itself–stirs his heart all the more. “Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.” By nesting in the eaves of the temple, the lowly sparrow enjoys the blessing of God’s presence, the very thing the Psalmist desires. A king who knows not YHWH, yet who lives in a luxurious palace, cannot begin to know the blessedness of the lowly sparrow who has built its nest in the eaves of the temple.

In verse 4 we come to the first of the three so-called beatitudes in the Psalm, “blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!” In contrast to the wandering exile, who longs to be home but who cannot, the Psalmist pronounces a blessing upon those who, like the sparrow, reside where the living God resides, and who are continually near the presence of the LORD God. They are able to praise God in his temple whenever they wish. This is the very thing the exiled voice speaking in this Psalm longs to do, but cannot.

The Second Stanza — The Long Journey

In the second stanza of Psalm 84, verses 5-8, the author speaks of his longing in terms of a journey. The Psalmist is a man making a pilgrimage to his favorite place on earth. The second beatitude [blessing] opens the second stanza in verse 5, “blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.” Whether the Psalmist is speaking as one who actually must make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, or whether he is speaking of his own longing for the presence of God in the terms of a journey, is not clear. In fact, the pilgrimage spoken of here is based upon a word with a double-meaning. It may either refer to a raised highway used by the pilgrim to make his way to Jerusalem, or it may refer to the raised path used by those who are in the processional going up to the temple. It may even refer to the music “raised up to God” in worship.[5] But the key point is that the journey to God’s temple, whether literal or figurative, follows a well-known and frequently trodden path. For many for us, the Psalter (the Book of Psalms) itself is such a highway to God. God’s own word of praise shows us the way to that which we desire the most, the blessing and favor of our God.

As one makes the journey home, the landmarks they pass on the way remind them that the distance from home is decreasing with every step they take. “As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools.” The Valley of Baca was named for a shrub which thrives in arid places, and was often a landmark indicating a nearby spring. Even a barren place (a Valley of Baca) can be a place of refreshment, as God may choose to send autumn rains which bring the barren desert to life. The Hebrew word for “pool” has exactly the same consonants as the word for “blessings.” The idea is that the soul longs for God because the presence of God turns barren places into green valleys.[6] Just as rain renews creation, so too being in the presence of YHWH renews the Psalmist’s soul.

The nearer the pilgrim gets to home, the stronger he feels the pull. Instead of tiring and giving up, the eager pilgrim actually gathers strength at the very thought that he is nearing his destination. Says the Psalmist, “they go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.” The closer he gets to his goal, the faster the pilgrim’s pace. The pilgrim longs to be in Zion at the foot of God’s holy mountain. The very thought of drawing near to God’s temple leads him to cry out with the words of anticipation in verse 8, “O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob!” The pilgrim’s prayer will be heard and answered. He knows that God is faithful to his covenant promises, and that God delights in both the prayers, and the praises of his people.

The Third Stanza — Arrival

The third stanza, verses 9-12, indicates that the pilgrim has finally reached his destination. His desire to enter the presence of God is now fulfilled. He will hear again the praises offered to YHWH by his people. The Psalmist will join with the happy throng when the Lord bestows his favor on those who seek his presence.

Verse 9 is kind of a parenthesis of sorts–“behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed!” Before the Psalmist continues on about the glories of the temple, his train of thought is interrupted as he makes a brief entreaty of sorts for the king, who is both the shield and anointed one of Israel. As a gesture of devotion to the king, the Psalmist asks that the same measure of his own pleasure found in being in God’s temple would indeed be upon God’s anointed one (the king) as well.

In verse 10, the Psalmist returns to his original train of thought and makes an amazing declaration: “a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.” This is the Old Testament equivalent of Paul’s assertion in Philippians 3, when the apostle declares “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” The one who knows the presence of God would much rather assume the lowliest post in God’s service (a doorkeeper), than feel at home in the company of the wicked. “Tents of wickedness” is a figure of speech connected to the wealth and social status of those merchants who traveled throughout Palestine. Better to be a doorkeeper in God’s house, than be an equal of wealthy pagans with their big tents, but who know not YHWH’s favor and blessing.

Even God’s doorkeepers receive a reward which far transcends anything the pagans can offer. As the Psalmist says in verse 11, “for the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.” God is both the sun (the source of life and joy), as well as a shield to his people (the source of protection, power and deliverance). Once in God’s presence, God bestows both favor and honor upon his people, the Old Testament equivalents of grace and glory in the New. Here, the word “favor” has the sense of God smiling upon his people as he takes delight in the delight that his people express for him,[7] while in the New Testament, honor and glory point toward the resurrection on the final day when the shame and stain of sin is forever removed. The point is that God bestows his blessings upon all of his people as they seek him, just as he will bestow the greater blessings found in Jesus Christ as we assemble to hear God’s word and bask in its glorious promises that our sins are forgiven, that we are covered with the perfect righteousness of Christ, and that we will dwell forever in the presence of the Lord.

In fact, says the Psalmist “no good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly,” a text which is echoed by Paul in Romans 8:32: “he who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” In fact, these words from the Psalmist, actually foreshadow the gospel. As we see in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God withholds no good thing from those who trust in him. Although he did not know the name of Jesus, nevertheless, the Psalmist knew this fact to be true. God will give every good thing to those who love and trust him.

But the Psalmist also says that these things come only to those whose walk is blameless, that is, those who walk “uprightly.”[8] What does the Psalmist mean by this language of walking in an upright manner? Is he saying that these blessings come only to those without sin? Absolutely! From the perspective of the Psalmist, this upright walk is characteristic of the Old Testament saint who, in faith, looks to God’s promise to provide for the forgiveness of sin and a righteousness which can withstand his holy presence. His whole heart believes what God has said, and he longs to see the promise become a reality. As he puts it verse 12, “O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!”

From the perspective of the New Testament, the one who’s walk is blameless is none other than Jesus Christ. What the Psalmist could not yet see is that God bestows his honor and favor (grace and glory) upon us by reckoning our sins to Christ, and Christ’s righteousness to us, so that we are seen as though we had no sin, and as though we had kept the commandments perfectly. We are blameless (we walk “uprightly”) because Jesus Christ is without sin, and that through faith we are united to him and his “uprightness.” Jesus now becomes the object of our favor and desire, just as the Psalmist desires to arrive at the temple where YHWH is present with his people.

It is the knowledge that the Lord blesses the man who trusts in him which stirs the Psalmist’s heart, and why as he makes the long journey to the temple, and the closer he gets, the more his strength is renewed. This is why he longs to be in the temple, why he envies the lowly sparrow, and why the very thought of being in the presence of God stirs his heart to such great joy. Indeed, it is better to be a doorman in God’s dwelling and receive God’s favor, than have status and riches in the palace of the pagans.

Looking Back and Looking Ahead

In the New Testament that for which the author of Psalm 84 so desperately longed, takes a different direction. Jesus has come to Israel and shown that he is the true temple. Through faith in Jesus Christ, God bestows his grace and glory upon his people. The faithful no longer must seek God’s presence in a particular building, for we are God’s living temple. No longer must a pilgrim make the journey to Jerusalem on the raised path. For in Jesus Christ, the true temple of God, God is always present with us, and in him, God bestows grace and glory.

For the Psalmist, it was better to hold the lowest rank in God’s kingdom, than to have status among the pagans. He longs to be where God is found. But for Paul the situation is different. His longing for God’s favor and presence drives him not to think of the journey he must make to draw near to God, but rather how God is already near in Jesus Christ. While the Psalmist sees this in terms of it being better to be the doorkeeper in the temple, for Paul, the thought of Christ’s righteousness–the ultimate blessing of God’s favor and honor, moves him to renounce all confidence in his own accomplishments. Just listen to Paul’s words in Philippians 3:1-11, where the apostle writes:

Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

The Psalmist longs to be in the temple of God. The very thought of being in the presence of the Lord moves him to declare I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. Paul, on the other hand, longs to gain Christ and his righteousness so as to share in the fellowship of his sufferings. The thought of this moves Paul to say: I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Both men (the Psalmist and Paul) desire a similar thing. But Paul saw what the Psalmist couldn’t–this desire to be in the presence of the Lord is fulfilled in Jesus Christ who is present with us through his word and sacraments, every time we assemble.

The Application

Reader, let the very thought of Christ’s perfect and faultless righteousness satisfy our longing for God’s blessing and favor. Like the Psalmist and the apostle, let us delight in God’s presence in the person of Jesus Christ as he draws near to us in the power of the Holy Spirit through his word and sacraments. As the Psalmist was excited by the very thought of being in the presence of the Lord, he picks up his pace as he made his way though the Valley of Baca toward the object of his delight. Blessed are each one of us as we make our way each Lord’s day to assemble as temples of the living God, to hear yet again that word of God’s favor and pardon. Oh, for a day in your courts!

In the person of our Savior Jesus Christ, we have everything the Psalmist so eagerly desired. And yet, we remain pilgrims. As we make the journey on the Lord’s day because we are God’s living temple, may our strength be renewed and may we find the favor and honor of the Lord. We know what the Psalmist knew– “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!” And like Paul, we know that the same blessed Lord whose the presence the Psalmist desired above all else, is with us. Beloved, God has smiled upon us in Jesus Christ. He has given his own son for us, for the complete remission of all our sins. And so with our strength renewed and our hearts filled with gratitude, we continue our journey because we know that no good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly, through faith in Jesus Christ. Amen.

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[1] Richard Muller, Post-Reformation Reformed Dogmatics, Vol 1 (Baker, 2003), 259.

[2] International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Vol. 3.51.

[3] Derek Kidner, Psalms 73-150, 303.

[4] Kidner, Psalms 73-150, 303.

[5] Kidner, Psalms 73-150, 304.

[6] Kidner, Psalms 73-150, 305.

[7] Kidner, Psalms 73-150, 306-307.

[8] Kidner, Psalms 73-150, 307.

As you may be aware from my previous posting of Warfield sermons, it was customary for the professors at Princeton Theological Seminary to preach a Lord’s Day afternoon sermon in the seminary’s chapel. On this occasion, Warfield chose Psalm 78:10 as his text. You can read the sermon in its entirety here. In it he addresses the wrath of God againt his enemies in light of the deliverance won for us by the Prince of Peace.

After discussing the origin of the Psalm (at a time of the destruction of one of Israel’s great foes—the Assyrian king Sennacherib), the Psalmist speaks in wonder at how YHWH’s enemies end up praising him as he makes his wrath and power known. Warfield says of the content of the Psalm . . .

It celebrates a great deliverance wrought by the power of God; a deliverance beyond all expectation, wrought by God alone. The essence of its representation is that Jehovah is a man of war, above all comparison great. When He enters the field, all the machinery of conflict stops. The lightning-like arrows which fly from the bow cease in their courses; the shield and the sword fall helpless to the ground; the stoutest-hearted with their chariots and horses drop into the inactivity of death. For Jehovah is terrible. None can stand before Him when His wrath begins to burn but a little.

In this we see YHWH’s great power in bringing all things—including the wrath of his enemies—to their appointed and providential ends. When Jehovah speaks he reveals his power over all things.

As the Psalmist contemplates the certain destruction that befalls all the foes of Israel, when Jehovah speaks, he rises from the particular to the general. He proclaims the praises of the eternal and universal providence of God, as it is illustrated in the great fact that even the most violent passions of men are under His control, and conduce only to the fulfilment of His ends. "Surely," he cries, "the wrath of man shall praise Thee, and the residue of wrath Thou wilt restrain," or "the residue of wrath wilt Thou gird upon Thee." The fundamental sense is that the ebullitions of the wrath of man, however violent and outbreaking they may be, are, nevertheless, like all else that occurs, under the complete control of God and are employed by Him as instruments for working out His ends. Like all else that comes to pass, then, they illustrate God's glory.

It is Paul who puts it succinctly in Romans 8:28, “for we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” But the apostle is saying nothing new—the Psalmist made the same point centuries earlier. As Warfield reminds his hearers,

It may be hard for us to understand or even to believe it—for our sight is dim and the range of our vision is narrow—but all things work together under God's governing hand for good. Even the things which in themselves are evil, in all their workings work together for good in this world of ours; for it is God's world after all, and He is the Governor of it, and He governs it for good, and that continually. John Calvin reminds us that though Satan may rage about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, yet he has a bit in his mouth and it is God who holds the reins. "Oh, Assyrian, the rod of My anger," cries Jehovah.

In fact, notes Warfield, the Assyrian acted willfully and in anger, not knowing that he was God’s instrument.

It was for his own ends—lust of conquest, delight in power—that the Assyrian on his part was doing it. He knew not that he was but the instrument in God's hands for working higher ends, and that when they were secured, the sword would drop from his inert fingers and he would himself fall on sleep. "Glorious art Thou and excellent," sings the Psalmist, "more than the mountains of prey: the stout-hearted are made a spoil, they have slept their sleep; and none of the men of might have found their hands. At thy rebuke, 0 God of Jacob, both chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep." In the midst of the turmoil of war, let us remember that war too is of God, and that it, too, will His hands work for good: that even the wrath of man shall be to Him for praise.

The very subject of God’s wrath is not to be trifled with, as the destruction of the Assyrian makes plain.

But there is more than even this in the Psalm for our learning, at least by implication. We read in it not only of the wrath of man, but also of the wrath of Jehovah; and the wrath of Jehovah is set over against the wrath of man as greater than the wrath of man—greater, more lasting, more prevailing. None can stand when the wrath of Jehovah only begins: when all other wrath is quenched the wrath of Jehovah abides—He girds Himself with it and is terrible to the kings of the earth. We must not then fall into the fancy that all wrath is evil, and that we must always and everywhere suppress it. There is a righteous anger, as well as an unrighteous. Else we would not read, "Be ye angry, and sin not." If to be angry were already sin, we could not be exhorted not to sin in our anger. God is angry. He is angry with the wicked every day. His wrath is revealed from heaven against all that work iniquity. If it were not so, He would not be a moral being: for every moral being must burn with hot indignation against all wrong perceived as such.

Yet, says Warfield, peace will come one day because the Lamb who exercises the wrath of God against fallen humanity is also the Prince of Peace and the very one who delivers is own from the guilt of our sin and the wrath to come. The coming of the righteousness of God as revealed in the gospel (Romans 1:16-17) will bring peace.

It is only when the world shall have been remade and there is no longer anything in it that can hurt or destroy that the lion and the lamb shall lie down together—because now the lion has ceased to be a lion. These things are to us an allegory. They mean that peace is the crowning blessing of earthly life and comes in the train of righteousness. Peace is, in the strictest sense, a by-product and is not to be had through direct effort. He works best for the world's peace who works for the world's righteousness. It is only when the world shall come to know the Lord and obey Him, that the peace of God can settle down upon it. We may cry, "Peace, peace," and there be no peace. But he who cries, "Righteousness, righteousness," will find that he has brought peace to the earth in precisely the measure in which he has brought righteousness. Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace, because He takes away sin; and you and I are workers for peace when we preach His Gospel, which is the Gospel of peace just because it is the Gospel of deliverance from sin. Sin means war, and where sin is, there will war be. Righteousness means peace, and there can never be peace where righteousness has not first been realized.

What Does It Mean to Be a “Doer?”

In the opening chapter of his epistle, James exhorts us to be “doers” of the word and not to remain mere hearers only. In the second chapter, James tells us that good works are the necessary fruit of a justifying faith. But that, of course, raises the question, “just what, exactly, does it mean to be a “doer of the word?” What kind of good works give evidence of a justifying faith?

In the third chapter of his epistle, James addresses a number of specific issues which were plaguing the churches to which he is writing. When James exhorts Christians to act in line with their profession of faith in Christ, James is actually informing his reader what it means to “do.” James also describes some of the good works which should stem from our faith in Christ. Doing the word means taming our tongues (controlling our speech), because our words can be so destructive. Doing the word also means seeking true wisdom from above, because this wisdom enables us to live in peace with one another, and will help us in the struggle to get our sinful natures under control. In doing these things, we demonstrate that we are not “mere” hearers of the word, and we will also manifest those good works which James says are the sign of saving faith.

Seeking Wisdom “from Above”

We move into the last part of chapter 3 and the opening verses of James chapter 4, where James directs his readers to the importance of seeking heavenly wisdom from above. In order to “do” we need to know what to do, as well as “how” to do it. As James will explain to his audience, when Christians live in light of God’s wisdom–and stop relying upon our own passions–we will live in such a way that our lives will be characterized by what James calls a “harvest of righteousness.” We will be at peace with our brothers and sisters, and God will help us to keep our sinful passions in check. But should we insist upon following our own sinful passions, our behavior will remain unchecked, and our churches will suffer the consequences–quarrels, disputes, and chaos.

As James spells out some of the specific issues facing the churches to which he is writing, the brother of our Lord identifies one of the chief culprits for their troubles as earthly ways of thinking and doing (worldliness). From the circumstances to which James alludes, apparently, the churches of the dispersion were facing great internal disorder and chaos, they were quarreling and fighting with each other, there was jealousy among the members, there was discrimination against the poor, and favoritism shown toward the rich–and this in addition to a number of other things catalogued by James. So, while James will identify jealousy, ambition, boasting, along with a number of other sinful human actions as stemming from that which is earthly (worldliness), it is not a stretch to see that all of the sinful behavior which James describes, and which Christians must strive to correct, stems from a reliance upon that which seems to be right to us (and therefore based upon our own wisdom), but which conflicts with the law of God (in which the wisdom of God is on display).

Justifying Faith Is a “Living Faith”

As James has explained in the first two chapters of this epistle, a Christian who trusts in Jesus Christ (what James describes as a “living” faith) will manifest that trust in the form of true religion, which is evident through the performance of the kind of good works. But Christians need to know just what, exactly, those good works are. This should not be a mystery to us, since obedience to the law of God is a good work. The Heidelberg Catechism (Q & A 91) defines a good work as something done in faith, which conforms to the commandment of God, and which is done for God’s glory. This is the broad application we are to draw from this epistle. We cannot claim to be Christians, and yet show no interest in obeying the commandments of God while allowing our sinful passions to go unchecked.

But in the historic context of this epistle–written in the mid 40's of the first century–James is making the case that the problems plaguing the churches of the dispersion stem from sinful behavior which is inconsistent with saving faith and true religion. We need to keep this point in mind as we proceed to work our way through the final three chapters of this epistle. James is not writing some sort of theological treatise on the relationship between regeneration, faith, and good works–although James has shown us that regeneration manifests itself in faith, which, in turn, produces good works as faith’s fruit. Instead, James is writing to persecuted, suffering Christians, who were then undergoing a very difficult period of trials.

In the midst of these difficult circumstances, some professing Christians were behaving in a manner which was completely inconsistent with their profession of faith in Christ. James now addresses this behavior and in doing so, describes the kinds of good works which spring from faith in Christ. To put it another way (as James does), many in these churches are like those who look at themselves in the mirror, but who had immediately forgotten what they look like. While these people were naming the name of Christ (even at the risk of being persecuted for doing so), nevertheless they were acting as though they had never heard any of the things Jesus had instructed them to do. They “profess” but they do not “do.”

Therefore, James is writing to the churches scattered throughout Palestine and Syria to address specific behavior. In doing so, James exhorts the members of these churches to be more than mere hearers of God’s word, but to be doers of that word. According to James, a doer is one who endeavors to obey the commandments of God, because they have already been justified by faith. This explains why James addresses the specific issues that he does, and this is why James is so direct in his exhortations to his audience. The people in these churches (to whom the epistle was addressed) would know exactly that to which James was referring–they were in the middle of it–and so James’s exhortation to act is a very appropriate response to their particular circumstances. This also helps us understand why it is when James connects good works to saving faith, that he addresses the specific issues that he does–how we treat rich and poor, the taming of the tongue, seeking divine wisdom from above, etc. These things were all issues in the churches of the dispersion.

Where Are the Wise?

With this context in mind, we now turn to our text, where James takes up the subject of divine wisdom, and explains how seeking such wisdom will bring peace to these churches. As he has done throughout his epistle, James begins by asking a rhetorical question. As we read in verse 3, “who is wise and understanding among you?” Since James is about to address the problem of jealousy and selfish behavior manifest in the lives of professing Christians, his question amounts to a challenge of sorts. James is asking those in the church who think they have wisdom, but who are still behaving in a sinful way, to step-up and explain just how it is–if they are so wise–that the behavior they now manifest is so destructive to the health of the churches.[1]

Should anyone accept James’s challenge, the following will no doubt apply. “By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.” As James sees it, if anyone truly possesses wisdom, it will be self-evident in that person’s conduct. In this case, a person’s good works will demonstrate that their conduct reflects the wisdom of God. Meekness, as spoken of here, should not to be confused with timidity or shyness. Meekness is a deep sense of humility before God. Meekness is simply the awareness that God is very, very great, and that we are very, very small.

Throughout the Old Testament wisdom is described as a gift from God. Jews were taught the importance of gaining divine wisdom from their earliest youth. As we read in Proverbs 2:3-10,

If you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

In fact, in chapter 8 of Proverbs, the author speaks of wisdom personified. As we see in the New Testament, this personification of wisdom is a reference to none other than Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:24). In Jesus, all the hidden treasures of God’s wisdom have been revealed. So, there can be no question that James has passages like this from Proverbs in mind as he exhorts his readers to seek wisdom from above. Those who are truly wise are meek. They humble themselves before God, and especially before the supreme revelation of God, the person of Jesus, that one in whom the wise should be boasting.

The Dangers of “Worldly Wisdom”

In verses 14-15, James changes gears a bit by describing the destructive nature of worldly wisdom. “But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.” If someone’s behavior is characterized by jealousy and selfishness, or if their heart is filled with bitterness, or they if are overly ambitious, then it is clear that they do not have the wisdom from above (which comes from God), no matter how wise they claim to be.

People who behave in such a way are oriented toward sin and self. Their reference point is not the will of God, but the interest of self–and the self which serves as their reference point is sinful. This manifests itself in the life of the church through a pattern of behavior in which someone tries to run their own agenda at the expense of others. Or, it can be seen when people are critical and insensitive toward others. Or when people seek to ensure that things are done their way. James’s word of exhortation is to stop boasting and denying the truth. If people are not willing to acknowledge they are sinful, they’ll never stop acting in sinful ways and they will never seek wisdom from God.

Very likely, this kind of jealousy was something especially fresh in the minds of James and of others in the Jerusalem church. We know this from an incident which occurred about ten years before James wrote this epistle, and which would have been common knowledge among those to whom James is writing. According to Acts 5, we read that after the apostles had performed a number of signs and wonders, many Jews–a sizable number of whom converted and were now members of the churches to which James was writing–were convicted of their sins, and many of those present became Christians. Soon people from the outlying areas were bringing the sick and suffering into Jerusalem for the apostles to heal them. The Sanhedrin thought they had put an end to this when they summarily put Jesus to death in 30 CE. But even after the death of Jesus, the miraculous was happening all over again.

In Acts 5:17-18, Luke tells us, “the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison.” No doubt, James’s readers could recall the action of the high priest, who was so put off by the success of the apostles in gaining converts (jealousy) that he never even allowed himself to entertain the possibility that what they were doing might be the work of God. When James speaks of jealousy in the churches, his audience was very familiar with those who put their own interests above the purposes of God–like the high priest. There are some who see their own interests as far more important than the purposes of God.

Worldly Wisdom Is Often a Manifestation of Human Sinfulness

Based upon James’s rebuke, it is clear that people in the churches were appealing to their own wisdom to justify their actions, but in actuality they were manifesting a behavior which betrayed that this wasn’t divine wisdom at all, but merely human sinfulness. Not only does this behavior include jealousy and envy, bitterness and ambition, James also adds boasting and falsehood to the list. These things are hardly the manifestations of the humility and meekness before God, which is the fruit of true wisdom, and the manifestation of true religion. No, says James, these things are the manifestation of earthly, unspiritual, demonic behavior.

This behavior is not from above, it arises within the sinful human heart. The presence of these things is a manifestation of sinful passion, which should not characterize the behavior of people who have been brought forth by the word and in whom the word has been implanted. But the sinful actions James describes here have nothing whatsoever to do with the true religion which arises from obedience to God’s commandments. In fact, this kind of behavior reflects the behavior of the demons, which Jesus encountered in his messianic mission.[2]

The consequences of sinful human behavior are self-evident. Says James, “for where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.” Wherever jealousy and selfish ambition rear their ugly heads the consequence is chaos in the church. These things open the door to even greater levels of sinful behavior in the church. James’s comments are virtually identical to Paul’s words to the Corinthians, written about ten years later. In 1 Corinthians 14:33 Paul reminds the Christians in Corinth, “God is not a God of confusion but of peace,” before exhorting the Corinthians in verse 40, “but all things should be done decently and in order.” When heavenly wisdom is manifest, there is peace and order.

But when jealously and ambition arise, peace gives way to quarreling and order gives way to chaos. Like Paul, James is greatly concerned when individuals put their personal needs and preferences ahead of what is best for the whole. Such people think nothing of causing disruption, division, and they will readily upset the peace and harmony of the congregation because of self-interest. Perhaps nothing demonstrates the “folly” of the wisdom of this age, like dissension, divisions, factions, and schism.

On the contrary, when Christians seek heavenly wisdom there is a far different set of consequences. “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” Wisdom from above (wisdom from heaven) is a “God-given orientation that has profound practical effects on the way a person lives.”[3] Just as a living faith produces good works, so too, whether or not someone has drawn upon heavenly wisdom can be identified by their conduct. The list which James gives us here closely resembles Paul’s list of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23.[4] For Paul, the Spirit produces fruit, while for James, these things come from heavenly wisdom. Like Paul, James understands that these good things come from God.

Heavenly Wisdom and Its Fruits

The manifestation of heavenly wisdom can be seen in purity, which is a word meaning moral innocence and blamelessness. “Peaceable” is a reference to someone who loves peace and harmony within the church. “Gentle” refers to one who is considerate of the feelings of others, while “open to reason” refers to someone who carefully listens to others before making rash decisions. People who seek divine wisdom are full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. These are people who put others ahead of themselves, they care for their neighbors, and they manifest the behavior which Jesus describes in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5.[5]

The result of this behavior is not chaos or disorder. Rather, the result is what James describes in verse 18, as “a harvest of righteousness [which] is sown in peace by those who make peace.” When Christians don’t seek wisdom from above, their conduct reflects sinful human behavior. When Christians seek the wisdom from above (revealed in the law–the “law of liberty”–and supremely in the person of Jesus Christ), the result is “the harvest of righteousness.” All of the virtues James lists here flow out of the lives of those who have been brought forth by the word, who have the word planted within them, and who receive that word with humility. Those who “do” the word reflect the righteousness which they already have through faith in Christ. Those who produce the good works mentioned here, do so because their faith in Christ is a “living faith,” which produces the fruit of true religion. Instead of being characterized by the kind of behavior James has just described, those who seek heavenly wisdom are blessed to dwell in peace, where the peace-makers produce a harvest of righteousness which blesses everyone, and which is of great benefit to the entire body.

When Human Wisdom Prevails

Well, what happens when people don’t seek heavenly wisdom, and when human wisdom prevails? You certainly don’t have a harvest of righteousness and the peace which results. Instead you have quarreling and fighting. You have the very conduct James is writing to correct. In the first verse of chapter four, you can almost see James throwing his hands in the air and lamenting “what causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?” The answer James gives is virtually identical to a statement made by Jesus. In Matthew 15:19, Jesus told the Pharisees, “for out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.”

Paul has not only spoken of the fruit of the Spirit, but in Galatians 5:17-21, Paul gives us a catalogue of what he calls “fruit of the flesh.” Says Paul,

for the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

The theological point James makes here, and which Jesus and Paul make elsewhere, is that even as Christians, the sinful nature remains after we are justified, so that the Christian life (the “doing” and “good works” now being discussed by James) takes place in terms of a struggle with the evil that remains within our hearts. In other words, the new nature brought forth by God through the word, desires to see a harvest of righteousness. But the evil which remains within us resists such righteousness, and when left unchecked produces the quarreling and fighting James now describes.

Mere Human Wisdom Can Be Destructive

James goes on to describe how our sinful passions–if left unchecked–create havoc in the church. According to James, “You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” The evil in our hearts is so pervasive, that when we desire something and do not get it, we kill our neighbor. While some take James to mean this in a more literal sense–arguing that many in this congregation were zealots, actively working to overthrow the Roman military occupation of Palestine–I think it is clear that James is speaking rhetorically here. We don’t get what we want, so we curse and murder others in our hearts through hatred (cf. James 3:9). This is certainly the root of violence against others and would be the cause should we ever get so angry as to take another’s life.

Next James mentions how we covet, but do not obtain, and so we quarrel and fight. Again the root of all strife within the church is the sin which resides in our own hearts. When someone gets something we want, and we miss out, then we seek our own way. Because we are sinful, we quickly turn on our brothers and sisters because we think they’ve wronged us, or done us harm. When we need things, we do not ask God, but instead seek them through our own sinful devices. Even worse, on those occasions when we ask and we do not receive, the reason is because we are asking God based upon selfish motives and ambitions. The Lord withholds these things from us, because he knows we’ll only use what he gives us for our own pleasure, and not for the good of those around us.

The bottom line is that James gives us a very graphic contrast between what happens when we seek the wisdom of God (a harvest of righteousness and peace) and what happens when we rely upon human wisdom (fighting and quarreling). This is why we must seek the wisdom from above, so that we live in peace with one another, and so that our sinful appetites are restrained by the grace of God. Make no mistake about it, sin remains in the heart of every Christian. And if we are not seeking heavenly wisdom to aid our struggle against our sinful passions, we will bring about the deplorable conditions which James is writing to correct. Our sinful passions will be self-destructive and cause chaos in the church.

Heavenly Wisdom Is Found Only in Christ

Where do we find that heavenly wisdom from above? And how do we apply it to our lives?

The good news is that God has not hidden his wisdom from us. He has revealed it in two places. The first place where God’s wisdom is revealed is in the law, which is a revelation of God’s will as well as a reflection of his holy and righteous character. James has already told us how the law exposes us to be law-breakers. Sin but a single time, and we are as guilty before God as though we had broken all of God’s commandments. And yet, James has also described the law as a “law of liberty.” How can that which condemns us, be said to liberate us?

In order to answer that question, we must discuss the second place where the wisdom of God is revealed to us, and that is in the person and work of Jesus Christ, who is nothing less than wisdom incarnate. In his messianic mission Jesus obeyed the law of God perfectly, as well as dying for all of those times we have broken God’s commandments. When we come to faith in Christ we are justified. God declares us to be “not guilty” because Christ’s death pays for our sins, and his perfect law-keeping is reckoned to us through faith. Because we are now “in Christ” and united to him by the Holy Spirit, we have been buried with him and raised to newness of life (of which baptism is the sign and the seal). This means the power which sin once held over us is broken. And since the guilt and power of sin is broken, that same law which proved that we are lawbreakers, now is our guide to being a “doer.” And when we obey those commandments, we manifest those very same good works which James says are the fruit of justification.

And so, when we seek wisdom from above, we must start by looking outside ourselves to God’s revealed will (in the law), and to a gracious Savior who has died for all of our sins, and who has set us free to serve him, as well as our neighbor. We seek the wisdom from God in the commandments of the law, and when we do so through the eyes of faith, we inevitably find that wisdom from God once we realize that Jesus Christ perfectly obeyed those commandments, and that his death and resurrection sets us free to fight against our sinful passions. The wisdom from above is ultimately found in the person and work of Jesus Christ, in whom we find all the riches of heaven, all the wisdom God has promised to give us, and that one who has set us free from our sinful passions so that we might “do” what we “hear,” and so that we might produce those good works which are the fruit of saving faith.

For when we seek the wisdom from above, and find it in the person of Jesus, there we will enjoy a harvest of righteousness and live in peace.

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[1] Moo, The Letter of James, 168-169.

[2] See the discussion in Moo, The Letter of James, 173, as to why this is a reference not to demon possession, but to demonic behavior, which is now imitated.

[3] Moo, The Letter of James, 174.

[4] Ralph P. Martin, James: Word Biblical Commentary, 48 (Waco: Word Books, 1988), 133.

[5] Discussions of these terms can be found in: Moo, The Letter of James, 174-177; Martin, James, 133-135; Davids, The Epistle of James, 154-155.

Article 6: God’s Saving Intervention

For God, who is rich in mercy, according to his unchangeable purpose of election does not take his Holy Spirit from his own completely, even when they fall grievously. Neither does he let them fall down so far that they forfeit the grace of adoption and the state of justification, or commit the sin which leads to death (the sin against the Holy Spirit), and plunge themselves, entirely forsaken by him, into eternal ruin.

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Having expressed the reality and serious consequences of members of the elect–those chosen by God, saved by Christ, and called to faith by the Holy Spirit–falling into careless and deep sin, the Canons move on to address the reason why none of the elect will fall so far as to be lost. We persevere to the end and avoid eternal ruin because God preserves us in faith until the end of our lives.

Many of us are familiar with the Robinson hymn “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” and the haunting line which opens the third stanza: “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it; Prone to leave the God I love.” That is the situation addressed in articles four and five under the Fifth Head of Doctrine. But the next line in that hymn, “Take my heart, oh, take and seal it with Thy Spirit from above,” is what is being addressed in Article Six.

Because we remain sinners with a sinful nature and the habitus (our established habits) of sin lives on even after conversion, there will be times (sometimes subconscious, or impulsive, and certainly not well thought-out) when we approach a cliff; a big decision, a change in our life’s direction, and so on, which, once made, will have catastrophic consequences for our souls and our Christian faith. But something stops us at the last minute from taking that “step too far.” The hymn writer speaks of this as “the sealing of the Spirit from above.” The Canons put it this way: nor does God “take his Holy Spirit from his own completely, even when they fall grievously. Neither does he let them fall down so far that they forfeit the grace of adoption and the state of justification.” The good shepherd will not allow even one of his sheep to be lost, no matter how far they wonder from the flock (John 6:39; 10:28).

The Arminian view that God’s grace enables sinners to choose if they will (or not) to come to Christ leads to the conclusion that if sinful people retain the freedom to decide to follow Jesus, then they can use the same freedom to walk away from the Savior and ultimately be lost. The Reformed view expressed throughout the Canons is (as we have seen), that God gives new life to those whom he has chosen from all eternity, sends Christ to save them, and the Father and Son send the Holy Spirit to call the elect to faith, indwell them, sealing them, and ensuring their final resurrection from the dead (Ephesians 1:13-14). God begins, continues, and completes his work in the life of his elect. Paul is unmistakably clear about this (Romans 8:28-30).

The final line in article six refers to “the sin which leads to death” (mentioned in 1 John 5:16). John does not identify this sin. There is much debate about what this means. Some take it to be a reference to the unforgivable sin, the “blasphemy of the Holy Spirit” (cf. Matthew 12:22-32), while others take John to mean a persistent and perpetual hostility to the truth of the gospel. I take it to be the latter, since Jesus’s definition seems to identify blasphemy of the Holy Spirit as something limited to eye-witnesses to his messianic mission.

In any case, the authors of the canons raise the matter to assure God’s people that since they are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, they will not, and indeed cannot commit such a sin. Robinson got it right . . .

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it; Prone to leave the God I love.

Take my heart, oh, take and seal it with Thy Spirit from above

Note: Originally published on June 12, 2022 and revised for publication here

The Binding of Satan — Background and Introduction to the Controversy

In Revelation 20:1-3, John is given a remarkable vision:

“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.” In verse 7, John adds, “and when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison.”

The binding of Satan as depicted in this passage raises several obvious questions, especially in light of the on-going debate between amillennarians and premillennarians about the nature and timing of the millennial age. This is the only biblical text which specifically mentions a thousand year period of time in which Satan’s power and activity are curtailed during a millennial age (whether present, or future). Satan is said to be “bound” for the duration. The two most obvious questions raised by John’s vision are, “what does it mean for Satan to be bound in such a manner?” and “are the thousand years a present or a future period of time?” Amillennarians and premillennarians take quite different approaches to this passage and offer conflicting answers to these questions.

Amillennarians believe that the binding of Satan is but another way of speaking of Jesus’s victory over the devil during our Lord’s messianic mission. The thousand years are not a literal period of time, but refer to the entire age between Christ’s first and second coming (the inter-advental period). If true, the binding of Satan begins with our Lord’s death and resurrection, continues throughout the present age, and ends with the release of Satan from the abyss (abussos—the place of the dead, cf. Romans 10:7) shortly before Jesus returns at the end of the age when Antichrist is revealed during a time of final apostasy (cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12). This brief apostasy is followed by the final consummation when Jesus returns (the second Advent). His return includes three concomitant events: 1). The general resurrection (1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11; 1 Corinthians 15:50-57), 2). The final judgment (Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 20:4-6, 11-15), and 3). The ushering in of a new heavens and earth (2 Peter 3:4).

Premillennarians, however, contend that the thousand years are a literal period of time commencing after Christ’s second advent, who then establishes his physical rule over the earth in a millennial kingdom (Revelation 20:1-7). During this time, Satan is bound. The thousand years end with Satan’s release from his imprisonment so as to lead the nations in a final revolt against Jesus’s rule, immediately before the final judgment at the end of the millennial age (Revelation 20:7-10).

Why Premillennial Objections to the Amillennial View of the Binding of Satan Actually Backfire

The premillennial objection to the amillennial view is a simple and obvious one. How can there be evil on the earth if Satan is bound? This objection is plausible if two very untenable assumptions are in place. The first untenable assumption is that supposedly there are people on the earth in natural bodies during a future millennial age (after Jesus returns), who comprise the nations mentioned in Revelation 20:8. On premillennial assumptions, these are the people who revolt against Christ once unbound, and who are destroyed at the end of the millennial age at the time of final judgment. But the false assumption here is how can there be people on the earth after Jesus returns to raise the dead, judge the world, and usher in a new heaven and earth as made clear in the passages above? Who makes it through the final judgment and goes on to repopulate the earth, only to be deceived by Satan after the Second Advent? This is a biblical impossibility, especially in light of our Lord’s words in Luke 24:34-36. “And Jesus said to them, `The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.’” There can be no people in unresurrected bodes on the earth to revolt against Christ! Nor is Satan still around to be released and deceive them—his end (the Lake of Fire) has already come at the Lord’s return (Romans 16:20; Revelation 20:10).

The second untenable assumption is that evil remains on the earth even after our Lord’s return when the consummation of all things takes place (see the texts cited above) and time (this present evil age) gives way to eternity (the age to come). It makes far more sense that Revelation 20—speaking of martyrdom as it does, and ending in an apostasy and a revolt against Jesus while he rules the nations—is much more likely to be a description of the end of this present evil age, and not a depiction of some sort of a “second Fall” of redeemed and unredeemed people supposedly on this present earth after Christ’s return, post resurrection, post-judgment, and post cosmic renewal. This is highly problematic and does great injustice to the flow and progress of redemptive history.

I address the serious problems with the premillennial understanding of redemptive history and a future millennial age in some detail here: Evil in the Millennial Age? A Huge Problem for Premillennarians and in the Blessed Hope Podcast here: “This Age and the Age to Come: The Implausibility of Premillennialism.”

To summarize, amillennarians understand the binding of Satan to be a present reality, while premillennarians see this scene as an entirely future event. In what follows, I will consider and evaluate the biblical background to John’s vision and then respond to the premillennial challenge, “when and how is Satan is bound?” And “why is there so much evil in the world if he is?” These are two important questions which merit response.

The Redemptive Historical Background to John’s Vision

There is significant biblical background which provides the context to help us understand what John sees, and which ought to be considered before we turn to the details of the vision given John as recorded in Revelation 20:1-3, 7. The scene depicted in Revelation 20 occurs in heaven where the thrones are (cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 2:4).[1] This actually makes much sense in light of Old Testament imagery and events, especially when these are interpreted in light of the dawn of the messianic age in which Jesus triumphs over the devil and his legions. Since the context behind John’s vision is important and often overlooked in this debate, I will endeavor to trace out these images and events to aid us in our interpretation of the binding of Satan in Revelation 20. There are three categories of biblical events which give us considerable aid in understanding and interpreting John’s vision.

First, we consider Satan’s influence upon the nations. We start with the obvious fact that Satan was instrumental in the fall of our race during a time of probation in Eden (Genesis 3:1-24). A fierce adversary is introduced into the biblical narrative from the very beginning, although it is foretold that this adversary ultimately will be defeated by the seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15). According to the subsequent chapters of Genesis, Satan managed to deceive much of the world soon after Adam and Eve’s expulsion from Eden, although an elect line did remain—the line of Seth, as recounted in Genesis 4:26. The first city was built by Cain in the Land of Nod, and named for his first born son, Enoch. The Cain-Enoch genealogy in Genesis 4:17 ff. implies that the city became a center of unbelief and opposition to the purposes of God. Then we read of the Nephilim (Genesis 6), followed by YHWH’s judgment upon “the world that was” in the form of the flood (Genesis 6:9-9:29). No sooner did Noah and his family leave the safety of the ark, we read of the rise of two more cities hostile to God’s purposes and his people, Nineveh (Genesis 10:11-12) and Babel (Genesis 11). The early course of redemptive history is characterized as a period of increasing human wickedness, manifested in city-states hostile to God due to the spiritual darkness of satanic deception (Genesis 6:5).

As the course of redemptive history continues to unfold throughout the balance of the Old Testament, we read of repeated instances of various nations and empires arising and persecuting the people of God. The list is long, but includes the Egyptians and its pharaoh, followed by the various Canaanite tribes, most notably the Moabites, then came the Assyrians and the fall of the northern kingdom (Israel), before Nebuchadnezzar conquered Judah and destroyed the city of Jerusalem and its temple in 587 BCE. Although Jerusalem and the temple were rebuilt in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, the people of God now found themselves as tenants in their own land, living under the rule of a series of pagan Gentile empires (The Persians, Greeks, and Romans). These are nations which fell under Satan’s sway, acting as his agents by marshaling their resources against the people of God. This extensive evidence from the biblical narrative points in the direction that Satan’s influence upon the nations during their opposition to God’s purposes is very likely in the background of John’s vision when he refers to nations being freed from satanic control when attempted if not completed.

A second factor to be considered is Satan’s power of deception, which often takes the form of idolatry and the worship of pagan deities is expressed in continual apostasy among the Israelites, seen initially in the wilderness of the Sinai, and then more openly once the Israelites have conquered the promised land of Canaan. The Canaan narratives inform us that like Adam, Israel never fulfilled the commission given them in Isaiah 49:6, “I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” Because of Israel’s rank unbelief seen in the nation and the idolatry of successive kings evident in their persistent disobedience to YHWH’s covenant, Israel comes under the covenant curses and repeatedly ends up as subjects of godless Gentile nations and their foreign gods. Israel’s witness to the Gentile nations regarding YHWH’s gracious promise of future restoration which includes them, coupled with the hope of a final redemption from sin, was largely absent. In the absence of such a witness—the light of which exposed satanic error hiding in darkness, Satan continued to deceive the nations and was able to keep them walking in darkness.

Third, we fast forward to the New Testament era, where much more information is given us about the devil, his intentions, and the extent of his power. He is called Satan, which comes from the Hebrew for “accuser.” He is also called the devil, (diabolos—the Greek translation of the Hebrew satan). We learn of two names given to Satan, Belial and Beelzebul. He is variously identified as the Adversary, the Dragon, the Enemy, the Serpent, the Tester, and the Wicked One.[2] Satan is said to rule a host of fallen angels (Matthew 25:41), and he has been given control of the world (i.e., Luke 4:6), which indicates that Satan’s actions are limited by God’s providence, a point well captured by Martin Luther’s famous dictum, “the devil is God’s devil.”

Satan dominates non-Christians (John 8:44; Colossians 1:13), he is destructive of life and property (Luke 8:33), and he must be resisted (1 Corinthians 7:5). He is said to be exceedingly cunning (2 Corinthians 2:11), he tempts people to sin (Ephesians 6:11), and he opposes those who preach the gospel (1 Thessalonians 2:18). Especially important for our discussion, recall that Jesus responds to a hostile crowd by declaring, “you are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). Satan is, therefore, the progenitor of lies and deception, and will do anything in his power to oppose the proclamation of the gospel. We see his opposition to the gospel at work when Jesus tells Peter, who implores our Lord not to go to Jerusalem to suffer and die, “get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you [Peter] are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man” (Matthew 16:23).

An important theme running throughout the New Testament is the repeated references to Jesus’s triumph over Satan and the curtailing of his deceptive powers through our Lord’s death and resurrection. Jesus appeared in the fullness of time (Galatians 4:4-5), but his public ministry did not commence until after he had resisted Satan’s temptations in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). In an unexpected turn of events, Jesus’s messianic mission appeared to come to an end with his death by crucifixion on Good Friday. But by Easter Sunday, it was abundantly clear that Satan’s victory over the promised Messiah was actually a complete and total defeat. By orchestrating the death of Jesus, ironically Satan ensured his own demise.

Our Lord completes the redemptive mission which Adam and then Israel failed to accomplish, when he fulfills all righteousness through his own personal obedience to God’s commandments, thereby providing a justifying righteousness for his people, while bearing the guilt of our sin in his own flesh. The accuser can no longer accuse, if the guilt and power of sin is removed from those whom he would otherwise incriminate. Paul encourages struggling Christians in Colossae by reminding them of Satan’s complete and total defeat. “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him” ( (Colossians 2:13-15). Satan is a thoroughly defeated foe whose end is certain, which echoes what Paul had previously told the Romans. “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet” (Romans 16:20).

Of great significance for our discussion is that in foretelling of his coming death and resurrection, Jesus speaks of “binding” the devil and destroying his works (cf. Matthew 12:27-29, Mark 3:22-27, Luke 11:14-23). When John speaks of the devil as bound (Revelation 20:2), no doubt, the Lord’s words are in view. Our Lord’s victory over Satan sets the stage for the command for God’s people to make disciples of “all nations” (Matthew 28:19). After Jesus tells his disciples that the gospel must be preached as a witness to those same nations before he returns (Matthew 24:14), and he promises to be with his people until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). Jesus also informs his disciples that the gates of Hell will not prevail against his church (Matthew 16:18), words which are an obvious reference to limits to be placed on Satan’s power. Initially, Jesus sends out the twelve to preach the gospel, but they are followed by the commissioning of seventy-two disciples to do the same (Luke 10:1 ff.). Upon their return, when they report to Jesus that demons are subject to them, Jesus tells the returning preachers that through their preaching he saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven. Satan has been “cast down” to earth (Luke 10:18), a point also made in John 12:31, when Jesus speaks directly to the matter of the binding of Satan. “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.” As we will see momentarily, the same thing is also affirmed in Revelation 12:7-17.

This, then, is the redemptive historical context through which we must attempt to understand John’s vision of the “binding of Satan” in Revelation 20:1-3, 7. Satan being bound and cast into the abyss is not an isolated event yet to occur and still off in the distant future. Jesus is the light to the nations and protector of his people. The truth, power, and light of his gospel overcomes the darkness and deception of the devil’s lies. The biblical evidence reveals to us that the devil is currently bound as the direct result of Jesus’s messianic mission, his cross, and the empty tomb. Satan is bound, says our Lord, through the preaching of the gospel. When we survey the biblical data regarding Satan’s binding before giving careful consideration to John’s vision in chapter 20:1-3, 7, it becomes apparent that the binding (or “casting down”) of Satan is a reference to the success of the gospel now that Satan’s power to deceive the nations has been broken.

What Does John Mean When He Speaks of Satan Being Bound in Revelation 20:1-3, 7?

John’s visions in Revelation are given in the language of apocalyptic symbolism. John does not intend for us to understand these things literally, but rather to read them in light of the Old Testament, where these symbols and images appear previously. The symbolic nature of the vision is obvious. How can an angel bind an immaterial spiritual being (Satan) with a real chain? How can a spiritual being be locked away in a pit? This is apocalyptic symbolism plain and simple.

First up is the matter of the proper identification of this particular angel and then determining the meaning of the symbolism of the key to the abyss and the chain. The answer to the angel’s identity is tied to the use of “keys,” which are mentioned throughout the Book of Revelation. In Revelation 1:18, Christ holds the keys of Death and Hades in his hand. In chapter 3:7, the Holy One has the key of David which opens and shuts. In Revelation 9:1-2 we read that “the fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss.”

Given the symbolism of the keys prior to this vision, we already possess the “key” (pun intended) to interpret correctly the symbols mentioned by John in Revelation 20:1-3, 7, with some degree of certainty. The Abyss is a reference to Death and Hades–the realm with which Satan is most closely associated in the Book of Revelation. Having been cast of out heaven (according to Revelation 12:7-9), John sees an angel (who is either Jesus, or an angel exercising the Lord’s authority) confining Satan to the abode of the dead. Satan has been cast from heaven where he had been making accusations against the saints (i.e., Job 1:6-12; Zechariah 3:1-10). According to verses 2-3 of Revelation 20, which are repeated here, the angel “seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.”

John’s vision should be interpreted in light of the background we have previously established. But we must also give due consideration to what John specifically says of this “binding.” Satan is bound to the Abyss–the realm of Death and Hades–for a specified time (a thousand years). He is bound for a specific purpose—he is prevented from “deceiving the nations” until the thousand years are over. The imagery of the devil being bound restates in apocalyptic symbolism the biblical data considered previously. Satan has been “cast down” and “bound.” After Jesus’s death and resurrection, Satan is prevented from deceiving the nations en masse—not that he won’t attempt to deceive the nations. This is unlike the prior period of redemptive history (considered above) when the devil was able to mobilize pagan Gentile powers to oppose and assault the people of God until his defeat on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. John is describing the age of the gospel, in which that gospel is to be proclaimed to all the nations. Therefore, the correct reading of Revelation 20:1-3 is that Satan is currently bound by the preaching of the gospel. His lies are exposed and his powers of deception are greatly diminished in the new covenant era. It is the proclamation of Christ crucified and risen which “binds” the devil.

But to be clear and avoid misconception as much as possible, the binding of Satan does not in any sense mean that all of his evil activities cease during the thousand years. In fact, John has already warned us in Revelation 12:12 that after Satan is cast out of heaven, “woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” Like a sick or wounded animal sure to die, Satan is actually more dangerous now than he was when he had free access to heaven–even while confined to the Abyss. Satan has been defeated by Christ’s death and resurrection. His doom is assured. One little word shall fell him. The truth of the gospel exposes his lies for what they are. But with the time he has left, Satan rages against the people of God trying to muster his increasingly feeble power. The gospel of Christ crucified is to Satan what kryptonite is to Superman.

Nevertheless, John reports in his prior visions that since Satan has nothing to lose, he wages war on the saints and at times, appears to overcome them. This is why Peter speaks of Satan as our enemy who “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (I Peter 5:8). This is why Paul can speak of Satan as “the god of this age, who blinds the minds of unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 4:4). You can put a vicious dog on a chain, but you sure don’t want to get within the radius of the chain, or you’ll still get mauled!

At no point does John say or imply that Satan ceases all activity during the thousand years. In fact, Scripture warns us that the devil’s rage increases because he knows the end is coming. But John does say that Satan is prevented from deceiving the nations so as to organize them against the people of God (Christ’s church) as he once did during the Old Testament era. Is this not what John has been reporting from the very beginning of his Apocalypse? The Beast was already manifest in John’s day in the form of the Roman Empire (the fourth empire of Daniel’s vision—cf. Daniel 7). But Christ has defeated the Roman Caesar, evident in the fact that we can go to Rome today and walk among the ruins of a once great persecuting empire.

Rome’s Antichrist emperors have come and gone, relegated to the annals of history. Indeed, beasts in many forms have come and gone throughout the age, persecuting the church for a time, only to be overcome by the testimony of the saints and the blood of the Lamb. Hitler’s thousand year Reich lasted less than fifteen years. Stalin’s great socialist utopia collapsed before our eyes. Even though nations who persecute the church come and go, they are prevented from organizing against the church as a whole and destroying it as the Assyrians and Babylonians did to the divided kingdoms of Israel. Inevitably these empires all come to an end–oftentimes a bloody end brought about by the providential intervention of God.

That said, in verse 7 John reveals that one day Satan will be released from the abyss at the time of the end. No longer bound, Satan will again organize the nations against Jesus Christ and his church, only to be crushed by Jesus on the day of his second advent when our Lord delivers his people once and for all, when we are raised from the dead, final judgment is meted out, and the new heavens and earth appear, the home of everlasting righteousness. But this can only take place before Christ’s return (Revelation 20:7-9), not after, since Satan has already been cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10) from which there is no release.

How Then Ought We Understand Jude 6 and 2 Peter 2:4?

Some interpreters connect the binding of Satan in Revelation 20 to Jude 6 (cf. 2 Peter 2:4), in which fallen angels are said to be kept in everlasting chains in darkness awaiting the final judgment. Does this have any relevance for interpreting Revelation 20? Likely not. The reference in 2 Peter 2:4-6 to angels being kept in chains in Tartarus (ESV, “hell”) until the judgment has a time reference, “when they sinned.” This would place the binding of such angels at the time of Satan’s fall, or else as Peter indicates in verse 5, at the time of Noah and the flood, which is “the destruction of the world that then existed” (2 Peter 3:6). Jude likewise speaks of these angels being bound until the day of judgment, which is possibly the subject of Isaiah 24:21-22, where we read: “On that day the Lord will punish the host of heaven, in heaven, and the kings of the earth, on the earth. They will be gathered together as prisoners in a pit; they will be shut up in a prison, and after many days they will be punished.” Other than this scant mention, there are no other texts which speak to this. So, at the time of Satan’s fall, or at the time of Noah and the flood, a number of fallen angels were bound and are presently awaiting the time of final judgment.

Does this binding of fallen angels relate to Revelation 20 and to John’s reference to the binding of Satan? Probably not directly, although the reference to fallen angels also might provide redemptive-historical background to John’s vision. Whether or not Jesus is the angel who is said to bind Satan in Revelation 20:1-3, it is our Lord’s resurrection which gives him the keys (authority) over Death and Hades, which is the abode of the Dragon (Satan), as well as the key to the chains of Tartarus.

A Response to the Primary Objection to the Present Binding of Satan—The Presence of Evil

The most compelling and common argument against the amillennial interpretation of the binding of Satan is the painfully obvious fact that evil and unbelief flourish throughout the present age. The reality of such evil supposedly proves that Satan is not yet bound, therefore John’s vision must refer to a future event which occurs after Christ’s second advent. This is the standard premillennial objection to the amillennial interpretation and is, at first glance, quite compelling.

But this objection mistakenly assumes that the binding of Satan requires the complete elimination of evil, which is not the case. Furthermore, this observation, while true—evil seems to abound—overlooks the extensive biblical context for John’s vision as set forth above. It should be pointed out that this premillennial objection is merely an observation about the present age, and not an effort to interpret the vision in light of the biblical context which tells us what John actually means. When we place the vision in its biblical context, it is clear, if not obvious, that John is referring to the inevitable success of the missionary enterprise, not the elimination of all satanic activity which does come with his final destruction at our Lord’s return. As previously noted, satanic resistance actually increases during the “thousand years,” yet is now too impotent to stop the progress of the gospel.

It is also probably worth noting that given the effects of the fall upon the human race, it is not as though there would be no sin and evil apart from satanic activity and temptation. Our hearts our filled with deceit (Jeremiah 17:9), our thoughts are continuously evil (Genesis 6:5), we are darkened in our understanding (Ephesians 4:18-19), and we are prone to all sorts of evil desires (James 3:9). I could go on, but the point is made. There would be great evil in the world even if there were no devil.

But the nagging question lingers. How can deception of the nations persist if Satan is “bound?” The answer is that Satan is presently bound in the sense described above (through the preaching of the gospel). Jesus and the authors of the New Testament are clear that the devil is already defeated and cannot organize empires and nations to stop the missionary activities of the church during the present age, as he was able to do with Adam and Israel, before his ultimate defeat at Calvary and the Garden Tomb. No doubt, Satan will certainly attempt to thwart the progress of the gospel and the kingdom of God, but ultimately he will fail. Being bound does not prevent Satan from trying to deceive. But it does prevent him from succeeding.

Our contemporary world is rife with examples of nations which openly oppress God’s people and seek to silence them (i.e., The People’s Republic of China, North Korea, the Islamic Republic of Iran). Yet, reports abound that many people become Christians in these nations despite the efforts of these governments to stamp out Christianity and prevent its spread. The kingdom of Jesus Christ will grow and thrive all the while persecution and political conditions appear to be getting worse (cf. Revelation 11 and the account of the two witnesses). The spread of Christ’s kingdom is a consequence of the proclamation of the gospel and tied to the effectual call of God’s elect–which John describes as a multitude so vast they cannot be counted (Revelation 7:9). But the relentless advance of Christ’s kingdom does not necessarily translate into corresponding economic, cultural, and religious progress as our postmillennial friends insist. In some cases, there will be a corresponding positive effect upon the culture. But in many cases there will not. Preaching the gospel often results in persecution, hardship, and even martyrdom. Jesus says world conditions will be the same until his return, as they were in the days of Noah (Matthew 24:37). Yet, the gospel still accomplishes God’s purpose in the face of persecution, bringing his elect to faith and establishing congregations of believers.

According to John’s vision, Satan will be released for a short time before the end (Christ’s second advent), when the devil will be allowed to deceive the nations for one final outbreak of an organized political, economic, and military attack against Christ’s church (Revelation 20:7-10) immediately before the Lord’s return. Meanwhile, the gospel will go to the ends of the earth, even as Satan rages like a wounded animal. He is enraged precisely because he knows his time is short and his end is already determined (compare 1 Peter 5:8 with Revelation 12:12).

Summing Up

In Revelation 20:1-3, 7, John describes a vision of Satan as bound during this present age so that he cannot deceive the nations as he was able to do prior to Jesus’s death and resurrection, the basis of Satan’s defeat. The answer to the question, “how can Satan be bound even as evil continues?” is found by considering the context of the vision and then looking to John’s explanation as to what he means when he says that Satan is bound and cast into the abyss. Once confined, Satan can no longer successfully “deceive the nations” until the thousand years are over. But John actually warns us that as a defeated foe, Satan’s rage is at its greatest before the Lord returns. But the devil’s power to deceive is broken through the proclamation of the gospel. Satan cannot stop the spread of the gospel, try as he will.

Therefore, when viewed against the backdrop of redemptive history (culminating in Christ’s saving work), the binding of Satan is directly tied to the success of the missionary enterprise. Satan was bound when his power of deception over nations and empires was broken by our Lord’s death and resurrection. John is not referring to the absence of all evil and unbelief as premillennarians contend our position entails, nor that the devil ceases all attempt to deceive nations—but something he cannot fully accomplish.

The amillennial interpretation is the correct one—especially in light of the fact the premillennarians can neither explain the presence of people on the earth after Christ returns (in either natural or redeemed bodies) nor find any people supposedly deceived who participate in a satanically driven revolt, since Satan will be cast into the Lake of Fire when Jesus returns. The problem for premillennarians is simple but vexing: after our Lord returns, there are none on earth to be deceived, nor is there a devil to deceive them. All things have been made new!

Also see: The Great Tribulation and the Great Commission

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[1] Rcihard Bauckham, The Climax of Prophecy (Edinburgh: T & T Clark 1993), 330; Dennis E. Johnson, Triumph of the Lamb (Phillipsburg: P & R, 2001), 290.

[2] The biblical data is conveniently summarized here, Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988) s.v. “Satan”; and here: John D. Barry et al., eds., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016), s.v. “Satan.”

[3] I refer the reader to the discussion of this in G. K. Beale, Revelation, New International Greek Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), 984-991.

Who Said That?

"In one important sense, Marxism is a religion.  To the believer it presents, first, a system of ultimate ends that embody the meaning of life, and are absolute standards by which to judge events and actions; and, secondly, a guide to those ends which imply a plan of salvation and the indication of the evil from which mankind, or a chosen section of mankind, is to be saved.  We may specify still further:  Marxist socialism also belongs to that subgroup which promises paradise on this side of the grave."

Please leave your guess in the comments section using the link below.  Please no google searches or cheating. Don’t ruin it for everyone else!

Answer to follow

Riddleblog and Blessed Hope Podcast Updates:

• A new musings photo taken on a sleepy afternoon in the Eastern Sierras. I’m about to finish a good cigar, some lemonade, and read more of good book. There were deer meandering through area just a few feet away earlier in the day

• Lord willing, look for Season Five of the Blessed Hope on Paul’s Epistle to the Romans later this Spring

• Lots of Riddleblog updates/corrections of late

Thinking Out Loud:

• So glad to see the Most Interesting Man in the World (Jonathan Goldsmith) back on the Dos Equis commercials! You were missed!

• Putting sporting events like MLB opening day (Yankees vs. Giants) on Netflix, March Madness and college football games behind paywalls ain’t gonna go over well. Not with me anyway

• I am all in favor of taking out Iran’s nuclear program, but after King Charles and Prince William praised Ramadan and ignored Easter, perhaps we should also be worried that the first Islamic nation to possess nukes might just be Great Britain

• For the media hand-wringers still refusing to see any possible victorious outcome of Epic Fury, keep in mind that for the last 47 years, the Shia revolutionary government of Iran has been declaring “death to America.” Unlike lemming-like progressives in America who chant slogans, the implications of which they don’t fully understand (i.e., “defund the police,” “free Palestine”), the Shia Revolutionaries really mean it—they have killed over a thousand Americans, countless Israelis, blown up embassies, and turned their guns and torture apparatus upon 30,000 (or more) of their own people. The Iranian Shia government is an apocalyptic death cult! Do we want these guys to have nuclear weapons? No! Do we trust them to self-disarm? No! This needed to be done. Not easy, but still . . . it needed to be done—for the sake of a real and lasting peace

• A bit of realpolitik making the rounds: If we as a nation are not willing to endure short-term higher gas prices or take military casualties (terrible as those are) to root out a long time state sponsor of terrorism in Iran, then America is not really a superpower

• Trump’s ever-shifting and vague strategic goals and inability to articulate them clearly is an altogether different matter—those who know him claim it is intentional and tactical. But from now on let Marco do the talking, please . . .

• And despite higher gas prices now, don’t overlook the fact that the eventual peace dividend of a free (or defeated) Iran will be huge. Cheaper gasoline and LNG prices, a working peace between Israel and the Arab gulf states (along the lines of the Abraham Accords), and we can greatly reduce our military footprint in the region with huge defense savings

• The way Mossad commandeered the traffic cameras in Tehran to spy on the Mullah’s comings and goings makes me nervous about them here—whoever is watching might catch me in a fast food drive through cheating on my diet

• Predictive Betting Sites (i.e., Polymarket, Kalshi) are all the rage. How long before there’s a Christian equivalent? We could bet on whether or not Scott Clark wears a hat during his next Heidelvideo. Or we can bet on how many books Harrison Perkins will get published next year? Someone may even want to bet on whether or not I find a new way to introduce my show notes during the Blessed Hope?

Currently Reading:

The second of three books in Michael Horton’s must-read series on the “divine-self,“ Magician and Mechanic is a real eye-opener. Horton continues to lay out the fascinating historical background to the contemporary embrace of the “spiritual but not religious” phenomenon. Horton’s project makes the case that this is nothing new, historically speaking, even if new to us.

In this second volume of the series, Horton covers the historical ground from the Renaissance to the Scientific Revolution with some very surprising stops along the way (Erasmus, Thomas More, Christopher Columbus, J. H. Alsted, Thomas Hobbes) and some not so surprising (Savonarola and various Anabaptists). There is much here, so I will briefly summarize big picture themes and leave the details to Michael to explain. His thesis is that the various subjective and hermetic religious expressions of the axial age (the eighth-third century BCE—covered in volume one) never really disappear, but resurface in unanticipated ways throughout the time period Horton covers in volume 2, the Renaissance and the Scientific Revolution following.

Horton identifies two new factors which greatly impact the axial impulse—the divine self seeking some sort of self-realization—in this period. One new factor is the apocalyptic millennialism of Joachim of Fiore (1135-1202). Joachim famously proposed that history unfolded in three stages. The age of the Father was the Old Testament era, the age of the Son ran from the New Testament through to Joachim’s own time, and a third age (the age of the Holy Spirit) was thought to be imminent. The hoped for dawn of the third age added a millennial expectation and fervor since the current religious institutions and governments (which were thought to be corrupt, materialistic, and too political) will give way to the utopian rule of the just and the exercise of perfect love.

Horton recounts in remarkable detail how the critical impact of Joachim’s apocalyptic millennialism appears in multiple thinkers and movements. Joachim is a significant figure—his impact is often overlooked—and is the father of the modern idea of progress. The surprisingly widespread expectation was that the present limits of Christendom and orthodox Christian doctrine would be upended in the new age of the Spirit, which was as yet unrealized, but soon to come. This millennial expectation along with various forms of pantheism and mysticism became the framework for much of the Renaissance era’s surprising interest in astrology, alchemy, kabbala, magic, purgation, and a host of other superstitious practices. These were thought to be the means of discovering the true self which was androgynous—the difference between male and female being just one of the limits to be overcome through the ascent to the fullness of the divine self. The theodicy (the consequence of evil) was often interpreted as God engaging with the material world and its physical limits—something with which the truly “spiritual” must likewise seek to overcome.

A second factor was the redefinition of the Christian doctrine of God. The three persons of the Trinity were commonly re-defined by the self-deifiers as states of existence or developmental stages within God, who is also in the process of “becoming.” The language of God “becoming” is a true red flag with these thinkers, revealing their various heresies disguised with biblical language.

As but one example, pantheistic notions (perhaps panentheism) can be found in the writings of the widely influential German mystic Jakob Böhme (1575-1624). Describing the relationship between Böhme and hermetic spiritualism upon which he draws, Horton describes how in Böhme’s mind, “the corporeal world falls up the side of appearances rather than reality. On the one hand, God needs the world for the self-manifestation essential to his own inner transmutation. On the other hand, matter is transmuted into spirit, creation into creator. Thus the world is God’s appearing” (206). The Creator-creature distinction of orthodox Christianity is obliterated. Böhme, who lived and worked in Lutheran circles was repeatedly forced to dodge accusations of heresy for obvious reasons.

One surprising figure appearing in Horton’s narrative is Christopher Columbus. Another is Amerigo Vespuci, for whom our corner of the New World is named. Since the age of the Spirit had not yet dawned in fullness, many thinkers of the period (such as Thomas More, the author of Utopia) thought that perhaps the age of the Spirit demanded a New World, whose inhabitants (the native Americans) were thought to be the lost tribes of Israel, and whose apparent “innocence” may reflect the ideals of the coming age of the Spirit. Horton notes that several prominent historians—who focus upon this period—claim that Columbus actually presented to the Spanish monarchy a plan to bring the gold of the New World back to Spain to fund the recapture the site of the church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem and rebuild the city in preparation for the Second Coming (166). One writer, cited by Horton, speaks of Columbus’s apocalyptic interest as “a frenzied preoccupation with a bizarre millennarianism” (168). Not much has changed when it comes to prophetic punditry.

All in all Magician and Mechanic is a fascinating narrative, challenging the secularization thesis, namely, that the scientific rationalism of the Enlightenment and Renaissance was the key factor in overturning Christendom as a political bulwark and even Christianity itself when thought of as a divinely revealed religion. As it turns out, a number of key factors in this demise might be much closer to home.

Must reading! I can’t wait for volume 3, which covers the modern age.

Recommended Links:

• Horton on transhumanism

• Highly recommended: Carl Trueman on the Remnant with Jonah Goldberg

• Clark clobbers Webbon. Well done and much needed

• Harrison Perkins on covenant theology resources. Very helpful!

• Keith Mathison’s top ten biographies of Martin Luther

• Great reading list from Reformed Forum

• An interesting take on the decline of dispensationalism

• Here’s a catalogue of Ben Sasse’s senate speeches, interviews, and media appearances all in one place!

Other Stuff You May Find Amusing:

• This is easily the headline of the year

• This is worth lining up for! One of life’s joys

• As if I needed another reason to hate squirrels

• Swell, another harbinger of doom. Makes me a bit nervous about why crows love my yard

• Cats will eat almost anything

• In the name of Jesus, “Stick `em up!

• An Episcopal priest stealing baseball cards? Yup Topps or DonRuss?

• OK, this is crazy, frightening, horrifying, yet sort of remarkable. How does this happen?

• Daily Mail strikes again — your authoritative source for end times nuttery

• Even Roman Catholics are getting in on Antichrist speculation. I wonder what this fellow thinks of WCF 25.6?

• No wonder our Roomba is acting up

• What happens in Vegas doesn’t stay there

• Is that stuffed owl real? Yup

• Graffiti has been around a long time. Ancient tourists vandalize Egyptian tombs

• Another surprising use (with a bad outcome) for google translate

Previous Musings: February Musings (2/25/2026)

Video: Okay, this is just plain weird. Weird, but catchy. Those costumes . . .

A Reading for Easter -- Luke 24:1-12 (ESV):

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel.  And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”  And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.  But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.

A Collect for Easter (URCNA Forms and Prayers):

Holy Father, giver of all perfect gifts, we join the heavenly choir to herald the news that you have defeated the powers of sin, death, and condemnation by the victory of Jesus Christ your Son over the grave. We confess that the circumstances of this present age often rise up to testify against the promise that you have declared in your Word. Nevertheless, we bring the experience of our hearts under your judgment: You have raised Jesus Christ from the dead as the first fruits of the whole harvest at the last day. As in his resurrection you have brought the new creation into this passing evil age, raise us up and seat us with Christ—in this life, through faith, and in the next, beholding with our own eyes the resurrection of our bodies in life everlasting. All of this we pray, with joy and thanksgiving, in Christ’s name. Amen. 

For Good Friday, a reading from Luke 23:44-49 (ESV). 

It was now about the sixth hour,  and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour,  while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!”  And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts.  And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things.

The Collect for Good Friday (The Book of Common Prayer):

Almighty God, we ask you now to graciously look upon your people, for whom our Lord Jesus was betrayed and given over into the hands of wicked men, to suffer death upon the cross for us and for our sins.   Lord you have made all men and women and do not desire the death of a sinner, but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and live, have mercy upon all those who neglect your gospel, and especially have mercy upon your ancient people Israel; take from them ignorance of the gospel, hardness of heart and contempt from of your word, return them to Christ, so that all Israel may be saved; and so that they, together with believing Gentiles, might be joined together into one flock, under one shepherd, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray, Amen.

A  Collect for Good Friday (URCNA Forms and Prayers):

Our Father, who so loved the world that you gave your only-begotten Son, we acknowledge and marvel at your mercy.  Even while we were enemies, you reconciled us; even while we were strangers, you made us co-heirs with Christ of all eternal blessings; even while we stood condemned, you redeemed us; even while we were imprisoned, you delivered us from the tyranny of sin, death, and the devil.  On this solemn occasion, we loathe our miserable estate and celebrate your marvelous grace.  Beneath the cross of Christ, we come to know that ours is the guilt, but yours the forgiveness; ours the condemnation, but yours the gift of justification; ours the bondage, yet yours the freedom of adoption and new obedience.  Even the faith with which we confess our dear Savior’s sacrifice was won for us by his death.  Therefore, we cry out to you in sorrow for our sins and in thanksgiving for your gift.  Give us the grace, we pray, to receive again this word of the cross which alone can refresh us on our pilgrim way, and send us out again into the world as witnesses to “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

Fire–An Ever-Present Danger

If you live in Southern California, you are far too familiar with frightening scenes of wind-driven brush fires consuming everything in their path. When a brush fire strikes, vital watershed, expensive properties and homes are destroyed in minutes. People and animals are displaced, the skies turn black, and panic is the rule of the day. And yet as James reminds us, a more painful kind of damage can be done almost instantaneously by the human tongue. The words which we speak are capable of great destruction. Just as a small spark can create a horrific fire, our words can inflict great personal pain, or even destroy someone’s reputation which they’ve worked a lifetime to build. And then there is the fact that our words reveal how deeply and thoroughly sin resides in our hearts. The words which we speak reveal to everyone our deepest thoughts, they uncover our true character, and they expose how wise we may or may not be. A brush fire causes great havoc and damage. But the damage done by a fire often pales in comparison to the damage which can be done by the human tongue.

A Bit of Level-Setting

When we left off last time, we discussed one of the most controversial passages in all the Bible–James 2:14-26. In that passage, James makes his case that a living faith (i.e., a justifying faith) is a faith which inevitably manifests itself in good works. James has carefully set out the cause and effect relationship between regeneration, faith, and good works. In James 1:18, our Lord’s brother told us that God has brought us forth (regeneration) through the word of truth (the gospel). In verse 21, James speaks of how that same word has been implanted in our souls, inevitably giving rise to faith (James 2:1). Believers are to receive that word with meekness and humility. And that same word, which is able to save our souls is also to be obeyed. Says James in verse 22 of chapter one, “be doers of the word and not mere hearers only.”

In James 2:10, James tells us that the law of God exposes all of us to be sinners. If we break but a single commandment, we are as guilty as though we had broken every commandment. Sin but a single time and God regards us as law-breakers. And yet, Jesus Christ has fulfilled the law through his own perfect obedience to the Lord’s commandments. Because Jesus Christ has died for all of those times we have failed to keep the law, for the Christian, the law is now described as a “law of liberty.” As James puts it, the Christian who gazes upon the law perseveres during trials. Such a person is a doer who acts. But the one who only hears, but does not do, is like someone who looks at himself in a mirror and then immediately forgets what he looks like. The law exposes sin, reckons people law-breakers, and smokes out those who are mere hearers of the word only. When such people make a profession of faith in Christ, that profession is not accompanied by good works. They may claim to follow Christ, but give no hint of actually following him. They “hear” but they do not “do.”

When it comes to the matter of justification, James is answering the question “how can we tell if someone’s faith has justified them?” Says James, “show me your faith apart from works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” Genesis 15:6 tells us that Abraham believed God, and Abraham was reckoned as righteous before God (justified). But as James points out, Abraham’s “faith was active along with his works, and his faith was completed by his works” (v. 22). James’s point is that the faith which justifies is a living and active faith which, in turn, produces good works. This is what James is getting at when he says “you see that a person is justified by works, and not by faith alone” (v. 24). If someone claims to have faith in Christ, but gives no evidence (good works) of struggling to obeying God’s commandments, then whether or not they have truly trusted Christ remains an open question.

What Doers of the Word Are to Do

Having told his reader why good works are the necessary fruit of a justifying faith, James now begins a discussion of how true religion is manifested in the life of a Christian. In chapters 3-5, James addresses a number of topics. In the first twelve verses of chapter 3, James speaks of the destructive power of human speech (the tongue). This is our topic in this exposition. Then in verses 13-18 of chapter 3, James addresses the importance of seeking divine wisdom and the need to cease relying upon human wisdom. In chapter 4, James warns his reader of the danger of worldliness–in this case, fighting, quarreling and speaking evil of one another–before going on to warn his readers not to boast about tomorrow when they don’t know what tomorrow actually holds. James will then warn the rich not to trust in their riches, he exhorts his persecuted readers to be patient in the midst of their suffering, before closing the letter with a treatment of the prayer of faith. According to James, these are the acts of a pure and undefiled religion.

While the first two chapters of James have a logical order (as James explains the cause and effect relationship between the word, faith, and good works–the word is the cause of faith and works are the effect of faith–the final chapters of James presuppose what is said in the first two chapters. At first glance there is not really a discernible order to the topics which James addresses. Perhaps the best way to understand the final three chapters simply is this–these are pressing issues in the churches to which James is writing. All of the matters touched upon by James are probably things which are beginning to fester and create problems in the churches of the dispersion. This is why James’s exhortations are so direct, and contain no explanation, which, apparently, was not needed.

That this is likely the case can be seen in verses 1-3 of James 4 when James speaks to some of the issues plaguing the churches.

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

If this kind of quarreling was even then going on within the churches, James’s exhortation to be doers of the word and not hearers only is realized when God’s people tame their tongues, seek wisdom from above, avoid worldliness, stop boasting about the future, stop trusting in riches, and when they ask God in faith for all good things.

Our Speech Reveals Our Secrets

As someone once put it, “words are also works.”[1] Given all that we’ve read in the Book of James so far, it should come as no surprise that at some point in this epistle James would tackle the subject of our speech to one another other, and in doing so, James cautions us of how destructive our words can be, and why we need to struggle to tame our tongues.

James does not pick this subject of human speech and the damage it can do out of thin air. James has just given us a rather direct argument that our faith is justified (vindicated) by our good works. Since James’s words often echo the teaching of Jesus, one passage which may lie behind James’s discussion here is one of our Lord’s sayings in which Jesus directly ties our speech to our justification/vindication. In Matthew 12:37 Jesus states “for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” It sure sounds like James is virtually echoing these words from Jesus. If our good works are the vindication (justification) of our faith, and Jesus specifically ties this to our speech, then it would only be natural for James to do the same thing.[2] The nature of our speech must reflect our profession of faith in Christ.

When we consider Jesus’s teaching elsewhere in Matthew’s gospel about the connection between the sinful human heart and the tongue, we see why James addresses this topic as he does. After calling the Pharisees a “brood of vipers!” Jesus goes on to ask them, “how can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” The human heart is filled with sin. But we cannot see into the human heart where sin lies hidden. While we readily accept the fact that we cannot see into someone else’s heart, what we have to understand is that we are not very good at evaluating the condition of our own hearts. It is hard for a sinner to objective when evaluating their own sinful hearts!

But Jesus makes it perfectly clear that one of the best windows into our own sinful nature is our speech. What we say often reveals what would otherwise remain hidden deep in our hearts. In the next few verses, James is making much the same point as Jesus. Our speech gives it away–we really are sinners, no matter how well we disguise it. As Ben Franklin says in Poor Richard’s Almanac, “it is better to be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.” The same thing applies to the connection between our sinful nature and our tongues. How often do our words expose what otherwise lies hidden inside? How often do our words prove that the Bible accurately portrays human nature (indeed our own nature) as sinful? How easily do our words come forth, even though they do great damage to others?

Speech and Wisdom

Given the connection between our speech and what we truly are inside, this explains why Jews considered one important indication of the depth of someone’s wisdom to be whether or not they knew when and where to remain silent. Throughout the Old Testament (especially in the Book of Proverbs) godly speech was considered a manifestation of someone’s faith and wisdom. Likewise, Proverbs tells us that ungodly speech reveals the true state of the human heart. Take Proverbs 10, for example. In verse 8, we read, “the wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin.” In Proverbs 11:9, the author states: “With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.” And then finally, in Proverbs 12:18, the author tells us that “there is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” No doubt, this capacity of the human tongue to reveal what is hidden in our hearts, as well as to bless and to curse, is an important theme in the wisdom literature of the Old Testament.

And so as we turn to our passage, it is pretty clear that James not only draws upon the words of Jesus, but he is also drawing from the Wisdom literature of the Old Testament. As James moves into his discussion of how “hearers” should “do,” James seems to be aiming his words at teachers. But while James may begin with teachers, we need to understand that James is not limiting his discussion to teachers only. As we go through the passage, we will see that James’s words apply to all of us, including teachers.

In verse 1, James writes “not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” Before tackling the destructive nature of the tongue, James begins by warning teachers that any who presume to teach will be judged by God with a greater strictness. In James’s day, a teacher would have been someone like a Rabbi, who was charged with the task of teaching from the Scriptures–in this case, the Old Testament, since none of the New Testament was yet written, although the apostolic church also relied upon the memorized sayings of Jesus.[3]

By using the plural here (“we”) James considers himself as a teacher, and therefore someone also held to this higher standard. Indeed, James warns anyone who presumes to teach to be fully aware that they will be held to a higher standard than those who are being taught. This warning stems from the fact that the responsibility to teach correctly is great, because to teach incorrectly about the gospel has such serious consequences upon the hearers–leading people astray from the truth and to a false confidence in human righteousness. All of us who teach must weigh this warning very carefully, and not enter into a teaching ministry unless called by the church, and only after our internal call is verified through an external call from the other office-bearers in the church. Just think of how much damage has been done by those who think they are called to teach, but who are not.

Bridling Our Tongues

In verse 2, James moves beyond those who teach, to address all Christians, noting that all of us stumble because of our inherent sinfulness. “For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.” James’s point is that since we all stumble, we are prone to imperfection, and we will inevitably struggle bridling (controlling) our behavior. Yes, James exhorts us to be “doers” and not “hearers.” But James is not a perfectionist. James exhorts us to tame our tongues (he expects us to do so), but he also realizes that we are all sinners who will inevitably stumble, revealing ourselves to be law-breakers. It is only the Christian (who is already justified by faith) who is able to “do” what they “hear.” Even then, says James, every Christian will stumble. But despite continually stumbling, the Christian will struggle to tame their tongue.

Beginning in verse 3, James offers a series of illustrations designed to prove the power of the tongue and how such a seemingly insignificant body part, can exercise so much destructive power. The first illustration James uses is that of a horse’s bridle. “If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well.” A horse is a powerful animal, but a small bit in a horses’ mouth can direct the whole animal. The same holds true for a ship. “Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.” In James’s day, most ships depended upon the power of the wind, although certain warships utilized slaves to row the vessel at a higher speed in times of battle. But even a great ship is steered by a very small piece of wood–a rudder.

Having given us these wonderful illustrations, in verses 5-6, James laments, “So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.” In the ancient world a forest fire was an impossible foe. There were no fire-breaks, firefighting aircraft, or fire-engines. People were totally at the mercy of such a fire, driven by the wind and limited only by the amount of available fuel.

The Untamed Tongue Can Cause Great Destruction

So it is with the tongue. It sets people’s lives and reputations on fire. It manifests a world of unrighteousness–the very opposite of the righteous verdict given us in justification. The tongue makes great boasts about human greatness and our supposed independence from God. What we says stains our whole bodies, as well as staining others with falsehoods. The tongue is a very small organ, but one which can reveal like nothing else just how sinful we are. The unbridled tongue can destroy true religion. It can be so destructive that is can set one’s entire life on fire. No doubt, James is here alluding to Gehenna (Hell–the Valley of Hinnon), the place outside the city of Jerusalem where the cities’ trash was burned, and where the pagans had earlier sacrificed their children to Molech.[4]

James is reminding us that our speech can be far more destructive than a fire. Our speech can do great emotional damage. Our speech can inflict great emotional pain. In fact, our speech may do more damage and cause more pain and suffering than a physical injury can cause. In many cases, our bodies heal much faster than our souls. Our tongue boasts. It destroys. It stains. It reveals. It starts fires.

Having made clear how destructive the tongue can be, in verses 7-8, James readily acknowledges how difficult it is for us to control it–even as Christians who are “doers” of the word. “For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” Drawing upon the creation account, James reminds his audience that God gave to Adam dominion over all the creatures–Genesis 1:26 reads “then God said, `Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’” Animals–except for the common house cat–can be tamed because humans are given dominion over them. But the tongue cannot be controlled. Bits control horses. Rudders control ships. Humans can tame animals. But no one can tame the tongue.

The reason why this is the case is because the tongue audibly reveals what is hidden in the human heart–and our hearts are filled with evil. Because our tongues spew out the sinful venom that is within us, James can call the tongue a “restless evil.” Why? Because what we say proves what we are. And what we say is “full of deadly poison.” What we say has the power to harm, every bit as much as poison has the power to make someone sick. No question that James is echoing the words of Psalm 140:3, cited by Paul in Romans 3:13. “They make their tongue sharp as a serpent's, and under their lips is the venom of asps.” While James’s reader has dominion over the creatures, they have no such dominion over their own tongues. Such is the depth and power of human sin, which remains even in the hearts of Christians.

The Tongue Blesses and Curses

As James goes on to point out in verses 9-10, the great paradox of human sin produces the circumstance in which “with it [the tongue] we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.” In this we see the fact of indwelling sin. Apart from God bringing us forth by his word (causing us to be born again through the preaching of the gospel), we would have no interest in praising God. But those whom God has brought forth use their tongues to praise God who has rescued them from death and certain judgment. And yet, even though God has brought us forth, implanted his word with us, justified us by faith apart from works, and then justified our faith by our works, indwelling sin remains. Even as we praise God, we still curse those whom he made, those who are also created in the divine image. This is the spiritual schizophrenia of fallen human nature. On the one hand, we praise God. On the other, we curse our neighbor. James can lament about this condition, “My brothers, these things ought not to be so.”

When James speaks of men and women as bearing the likeness of God, it is vital to notice that James makes this reference in regard to fallen men and women. This means that even after our race fell into sin, all people are bearers of the divine image. This is the exact same thing we find in Genesis 9:6, where the reason why the taking of a life is such a serious offense against God is because men and women bear the divine image–even after the fall of Adam.

Not only does the divine image include dominion over the animals, it entails things like the communicable attributes of God (as creatures, we are like God in every way that a creature can be like God–and yet forever unlike God because we are creatures), it includes our reason, our moral nature, and our natural affections and emotions. The divine image defines what it means to be human and this separates us from the creatures.

This is why naturalistic evolution is such an offense to Christianity–it is a direct attack upon the idea that men and women bear the divine image, and reduces us to mere creatures (animals), when God has declared us to be created in his own likeness. It is rather remarkable to me that when humans rebel against God, and then declare their independence from their creator, they then reckon themselves as mere animals. All the while, the Bible, which they reject, instead speaks of every human being created but a little lower than angels (Psalm 8:5). Scripture reminds us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139). It is truly remarkable that God assigns this dignity to all men and women, and this is why it is so wrong to curse our neighbor. No matter how we may perceive our neighbor, they still reflect the divine image. And if we curse them, we are cursing the work of God.

The Application – What Kind of Speech?

In verses 11-12, James now asks several more rhetorical questions, further pressing home his primary point. “Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.” And yet, sadly, we are so double-minded, we praise God and still curse our neighbor. We cannot tame our tongues, yet we still must make every effort to do so. While our tongue boasts of great things, it reveals how little we have to truly boast about. This, of course, is the great paradox of sinful human nature. Doers of the word must realize that despite the seemingly impossible struggle to do so, we must tame our tongues, because our tongues can do so much damage to others.

Beloved, our words can do great damage. Our tongues set fires that do unspeakable harm to those we love most, or know the least. Although at times our cruel words are premeditated (and calculated to do maximum damage), other times our words of destruction flippantly cross our lips often before we even know what we are saying. In both cases, our speech not only reveals that we are sinners at the very core of our being, but our words can do more damage than we could ever imagine.

The only hope for any one of us is to be found in a gracious Savior, who not only has suffered and died for all of those times we have used our tongues to curse God and our neighbor, but a Savior who never once spoke in such a way as to boast about himself, or to demean another. The only person who ever lived who loved God and neighbor as he should is Jesus. The only person to tame his tongue is our Savior. While James expects us to struggle to bridle our tongues, he also speaks openly of the difficult struggle to do so. James understands the inevitability of the fact that at many points in our lives, our tongues will betray the depth of that sin that lives inside of us. James is not a perfectionist. He knows that our speech will give away who and what we are. But because the tongue is so lethal, James exhorts us to make every effort to tame it.

How do we do what seems so impossible? For one thing, James reminds us that those whom we curse are divine image-bearers. Keeping this in mind is one of the most important ways to restrain our tongues. If we stop and recall that the person we curse bears the image of God, we’ll be less likely to curse them. And then we need to keep before us the knowledge that our blessed Savior never once uttered a cruel word, or told a falsehood about his neighbor. This why we must constantly be reminded that Jesus suffered and died for all the times we’ve cursed our neighbors, and because his perfect speech is reckoned to us, we must continually ask ourselves, “how then can we go on cursing our neighbor without taming our tongues?” Yes, the tongue boasts of great things, and it starts horrible emotional fires. But in light of the mercies of Christ, we must use our tongues to praise God and bless our neighbor. We must make every effort not to curse or slander others. This is what it means to be a hearer of the word, and a doer of the word.

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[1] R. V. G. Tasker, cited in Moo, The Letter of James, 147.

[2] Moo, The Letter of James, 147.

[3] Moo, The Letter of James, 149.

[4] Moo, The Letter of James, 159-160.

Article 5: The Effects of Such Serious Sins

By such monstrous sins, however, they greatly offend God, deserve the sentence of death, grieve the Holy Spirit, suspend the exercise of faith, severely wound the conscience, and sometimes lose the awareness of grace for a time—until, after they have returned to the way by genuine repentance, God’s fatherly face again shines upon them.

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At the time of the writing of the Canons (1618-1619), the Dutch Arminians held that since believers could sever themselves from Christ through gross and serious sins and fall way–and since the Reformed held to the perseverance of the saints–the Reformed were guilty of creating a sense of indifference toward sin which allowed professing Christians to sin with impunity. Of course, it is easy to find cases of professing believers doing exactly that–who, while claiming to be Christians, still live like pagans. The Arminian accusation was that the Reformed understanding of perseverance creates just that sort of problem–it allows and tolerates indifference to sin in the life of professing believers. If believers remain convinced that they are of the elect, and cannot be cast into Hell, then they can sin with complete indifference.

Lest we forget, at the time of the Reformed-Arminian debates in the Netherlands, the Roman church had long held to a distinction between moral and venial sins. Often described as the seven deadly sins (including murder, adultery, and theft), once committed, mortal sins were understood to remove one from the sphere of God’s grace and could and often do lead to eternal damnation. But a venial (or lesser) sin merely requires repentance and possible confession to a priest–depending upon the sin. The Roman church saw itself (and still does) as the judge of which sins are which (as spelled out in its various catechisms) and assigned a remedy to the sinner to remove themselves from their corresponding predicament.

The Arminians rejected the Roman understanding of the church’s role as the dispenser of grace through the church’s sacraments and the presence of a sacrificing priesthood. The Arminians also rejected Roman forms of sacerdotalism–which is the view that the church’s priests have a mediatorial role to play by interceding between God and his people. The Arminians were thoroughly Protestant.

Yet, if you hold that true believers are not guaranteed to persevere to the end in faith, and those who currently do believe in Christ might at some point in the future commit serious sins, fall away, and be lost, then you will end up with something very much like Rome’s distinction between major sins which can actually sever our relationship with God, and lesser sins which do not cause us to lose our relationship with God, but will inhibit our sense of closeness to him. This explains the legalism in some contemporary Arminian circles (especially so-called holiness churches) in which humanly-devised “sin lists” (no smoking, drinking, gambling etc.) characterize church life because these are supposed criteria by which we spot indifference to the sorts of sins which might lead to the eventual loss of one’s salvation.

Article Five of the Canons acknowledge that although there are certain sins, the gravity of which offends God and which do deserve eternal punishment, the elect (those chosen by God, for whom Christ has died, and who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit) will, at some point, come to repentance and be restored to fellowship with God through the merits and intercession of Christ.

As the Canons made clear in Article Three, Jesus Christ will lose none of those given him by the Father. Recall too, that in the very first article under the First Head of Doctrine, the Canons pointed out the biblical teaching that all of Adam’s descendants are guilty for his sin (in Eden as our federal representative) as well as our own personal sins, thereby rendering the distinction between mortal and venial sins practically useless in understanding the Christian life. Sin is sin when it comes to guilt before God–we are all equally guilty and can do nothing to save ourselves. Yet, some sins do have greater consequences upon our lives and sense of our assurance before God.

I might not have killed someone with my hands, but I’ve done it my heart. You have too. We are all guilty of mortal sins in God’s sight and we all deserve his punishment. But the same guilt holds true for “venial sins”–not just the “big sins” we commit. But should the sin in my heart manifest itself with an act of my hands, of course, I will provoke God to greater anger and will face the consequences of my actions–perhaps jail, or other forms of punishment in the civil kingdom, both of which would be well-deserved. Even worse—my conscience will grant me no peace until I do repent.

But God’s elect will repent at some point—that is spelled out in Article Five. They will strive to clean-up the damage they have done to themselves and others (the fruit of true repentance), and ultimately they will be restored to fellowship with the merciful God. The elect will persevere to the end because Jesus Christ preserves them to the and. As for those professing Christians who are not of the elect, who cannot count on Christ’s saving merits, and who are not indwelt by the Holy Spirit, their so-called “venial sins” are more than sufficient to condemn them to eternal loss.

Lord willing, Season Five of the Blessed Hope Podcast will launch later this Spring.

I am hard at work preparing new episodes. In this brief introductory podcast episode, I hope to whet your whistle as I speak to the importance of this epistle, reveal some of the issues I will be addressing in the upcoming season, and give future listeners a homework assignment.

I am really looking forward to getting underway and I hope you are too.

B. B. Warfield preached a wonderful sermon in Miller Chapel at Princeton Theological Seminary on the role of the Holy Spirit aiding God’s people in prayer. There is no date given, but text was Romans 8:26-27, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”

Warfield begins by setting the context for Paul’s words about the Spirit’s aid to Christian pilgrims

The eighth chapter of Romans is an outburst of humble triumph on the Apostle's part, on realizing that the conflict of the Christian life as depicted in the seventh chapter issues in victory, through the indwelling of the Holy Ghost. Evil may be entrenched in our members; but the power of God unto salvation has entered our hearts by the Holy Ghost and by the prevalent working of that Holy Spirit in us we are enabled to cry Abba, Father; and being made sons of God are constituted His heirs and co-heirs with Jesus Christ. Not as if, indeed, we are to be borne with but effort of our own into this glorious inheritance— "to be carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease." No! "Surely we must fight, if we would win." For, after all, the Christian life is a pilgrimage to be endured, a journey to be accomplished, a fight to be won. Least of all men was the Apostle Paul, whose life was in labours more abundant and in trials above measure, liable to forget this. It is out of the experiences of his own life as well as out of the nature of the thing that he adds, therefore, to his cry of triumph a warning of the nature of the life which, nevertheless, we must still live in the flesh. If "the Spirit Himself beareth witness with our Spirits that we are the Sons of God," and the glorious sequence follows, "and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ," no less do we need to be reminded further of the condition underlying the victory—"if so be that we suffer with Him that we may also be glorified with Him." To share with Christ His glory implies sharing with Him His sufferings. "Must Jesus tread the path alone and all the world go free?" Union with Him implies taking part in all His life experiences, and we can ascend the throne with Him only by treading with Him the pathway by which He ascended the throne. It was from the cross that He rose to heaven.

Warfield describes the Christian life as a call to suffer and to take up Christ’s cross, making an appeal to the famed Pilgrim’s Progress

The rest of this marvellous chapter seems to be devoted to encouraging the saint in his struggles as he treads the thorny path with Christ. The first encouragement is drawn from the relative greatness of the sufferings here and the glory yonder; the second, from the assistance in the journey received from the Holy Ghost; and the third from the gracious oversight of God over the whole progress of the journey. This whole section of the chapter, therefore, appears as Paul's word of encouragement to the believer as he struggles on in his pilgrimage—in his "Pilgrim's Progress"— in view of the hardships and sufferings and trials attendant in this sinful world on the life in Christ. It is substantially, therefore, an Apostolic commentary on our Lord's words, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me;" "he that doth not take up his cross and follow after me, is not worthy of me." These sufferings, says Paul, are inevitable; no cross, no crown. But he would strengthen us in enduring the cross by keeping our eye on the crown, by assuring us of the presence of the Holy Spirit as our ever-present helper, and by reminding us of the Divine direction of it all. Thus he would alleviate the trials of the journey.

He concludes . . .

Thus, then, the Spirit helps our weakness. By His hidden, inner influences He quickens us to the perception of our real need; He frames in us an infinite desire for this needed thing; He leads us to bring this desire in all its unutterable strength before God; who, seeing it within our hearts, cannot but grant it, as accordant with His will. Is not this a very present help in time of trouble? As prevalent a help as if we were miraculously rescued from any danger? And yet a help wrought through the means of God's own appointment, that is, our attitude of constant dependence on Him and our prayer to Him for His aid? And could Paul here have devised a better encouragement to the saints to go on in their holy course and fight the battle bravely to the end?

You can read the entire sermon here

Episode Synopsis:

Paul has written a long letter dealing with on-going controversies in Corinth–his fourth letter to this congregation. We know this letter as 2 Corinthians. Among other things, Paul’s first Corinthian letter dealt with factions, lawsuits, idolatry, gifts of the Spirit, proper worship, and the nature of our Lord’s bodily resurrection in anticipation of our own. After Paul made a difficult visit to Corinth and sent the so-called painful letter to the Corinthians, word came to him in Ephesus that existing troubles continued and new ones had erupted.

Paul will need to go back to Corinth to deal with these matters, so he began making his way through Macedonia (where he encountered a number of unspecified trials) and began composing 2 Corinthians on his way to Corinth. One pressing matter is that an individual did great harm to Paul’s reputation and to the church, and while the Corinthians dealt with him, substantial damage was done among church members. Another even more pressing matter was that false teachers and boastful braggarts were doing their best to undermine Paul’s apostolic authority in the church. Paul addresses these matters head-on and prescribes a series of actions the Corinthians need to take.

While in Macedonia, Paul learned that the Corinthians had not followed through on their promise to collect an offering for the suffering saints in Jerusalem who were living through the effects of a severe famine in Palestine. Paul hoped that this offering would do two things. One is to provide badly needed relief to those suffering in the region. A second is that a generous offering from Gentile churches to the Jewish church in Jerusalem would do much to end any hostilities between Christian Jews and Gentile converts. The Macedonian churches were poor, but they gave above and beyond what they could to contribute to these offerings. But Paul has learned that the Corinthians, who were wealthy, had been working on this for a year, but still, their offering was not ready. So Paul challenges the Corinthians to make good on their promise.

About the time Paul and his companions were getting ready to make their way south from Macedonia to Corinth, Paul got news from Titus that a group of false teachers–whom Paul describes as false teachers and false apostles, and agents of Satan himself–were teaching a false gospel, a false Jesus, and a false Holy Spirit. Paul responds with a fair bit of righteous anger by adding four additional chapters to his letter–chapters 10-13 of 2 Corinthians. Paul has had enough of the Corinthian apathy toward the Christian life and doctrine, especially among those who continue in sexual sin and idolatrous practices, and who have been won over by these men who are doing everything in the power to undermine Paul and who seek to replace him.

This prompted Paul’s “Fool’s Speech” (2 Corinthians 11:21b-12:14)–a masterpiece of apostolic rhetoric. In the closing verses of this letter–our text for this episode–Paul informs them he is coming to Corinth for the third time. He does so in a manner which has the tone of an exasperated mother telling her disobedient children, “wait till your father gets home.” Well, Paul is an exasperated father returning to a church he founded, and ready to settle things once and for all. He hopes for the best, but is fully prepared to deal with an apathetic church which has tolerated agents of Satan for far too long in their midst. The Corinthians have been warned. “Your apostle is coming home.” Time to put a stop to their bad behavior!

Show Notes:

An uneventful recording session—rare these days

Look for an episode soon detailing plans for Season Five, when, Lord willing, we take up the book of Romans

Recommended Links:

A Sermon by George Whitefield on 2 Corinthians 13:5

Sam Storms on examining and testing one’s self

Series Bibliography:

Frank Thielman, Paul, The Apostle of Grace. This is an outstanding biography of Paul. Expensive but well worth it. Reviewers claim it replaces Bruce’s volume, but they really are two different books. I would own both!

F. F. Bruce, Paul: The Apostle of the Heart Set Free. A bit dated but still remains a useful biographical study of Paul’s life and times

Douglas J. Moo, A Theology of Paul and His Letters (2021). A helpful big picture survey of Paul’s theology and epistles

Guy P. Waters, The Life and Theology of Paul (DVD series). A great introduction. There is also a print edition

Commentaries:

Mark Seifrid, The Second Letter to the Corinthians. This would be my first choice for an in-depth commentary

Colin Kruse, 2 Corinthians (Tyndale). This is the best choice for most readers

Paul Barnett, The Second Epistle to the Corinthians. This one is also very good

Riddleblog Resources: Pauline Studies and Resources

Music:

(Shutterstock): Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op 92m, second movement, Allegretto (A minor)

Originally built as the headquarters for the “Full Gospel Businessman’s Fellowship,” this garish facility became the Trinity Broadcast Headquarters in 1996. It was eventually sold in 2017, several years after TBN founders Paul and Jan Crouch both died. The building—in the opinion of many—was the ugliest in the county. It was located on the south side of the 405 fwy, across from Orange County’s famed South Coast Plaza shopping center. If you’ve driven by it, you’ve seen it. It can’t be missed. I’ll bet your first impression was that it was completely out of place in a largely residential neighborhood. Your second thought was the question, “there’s a Las Vegas casino in Orange County?” or “is the circus in town?”

The image below—the staircase leading down to the TV sound stage—is evidence that it doesn’t get tackier than this. Now, thirty years later, it is a pile of rubble. Whatever legacy the Crouches left behind it won’t be in Costa Mesa.

I have written previously about Orange County as the new burned over district and spelled out my take on TBN’s massive national influence on American religion (especially Pentecostalism) in the 1980s-early 2000s. Looking through the photos provided by the Orange County Register of the bulldozers demolishing it, I think of the waste. And I wonder (as I did when I wrote my series on OC as the Burned Over District), why do dirt poor Bible Belt folk (like the Crouches) end-up spending so much money on a garish facility like this when success finally comes? What makes such folk think an over-built and ostentatious building is the legacy they wish to leave behind?

One reason is that the Crouches prosperity gospel of “giving to get” was a huge factor in “moving on up” from a state of the art, if workman like TV headquarters in Tustin (nearby and also in Orange County), to purchase and remodel this monstrosity. One local critic described the campus and the building’s interior as looking like a New Orleans brothel. Another reason—one which plagues prosperity gospel types—is that if you don’t look mega-successful, people won’t believe your give-to-get formula actually works. You’ve got to make your followers believe you made it and they can too. By sending them your money, you are led to believe that you are sowing the seeds of your own future prosperity—caveat emptor surely applies here. Finally, there is the competition factor. As I describe in my essay above, Orange County was home to other huge national ministries. Robert Schuller’s Crystal Cathedral was near Disneyland and visible across much of the county, Calvary Chapel’s large but rather plain church was a mile or so from TBN’s headquarters across the freeway, and there was Rick Warren’s sprawling church campus in South Orange County, along with a host of others.

All of them are gone or now in free-for-all. Surely, there is a lesson to be learned here.

James Versus Paul – A Needless Controversy

It would be hard to find a passage of Scripture which is more controversial than James 2:14-26. The reason for the controversy is James’s assertion in verse 24 that “a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” This seems to fly in the face of a number of passages in Paul’s letters where Paul appears to be saying the exact opposite thing. Take, for example, Galatians 2:16. “Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” Those who believe that the justification of sinners is a process which is not complete until death (Rome), view James’s remarks here as a classic proof-text which supports this view. Rome and its allies claim that Justification is by faith plus works, or through the merit of the works faith produces. They claim that Paul’s comments about justification must be understood in the light of James 2.

But those who see justification as an instantaneous declaration made about the sinner because the merits of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection are imputed (or credited) to them through the means of faith, can appear to stumble over James’s declaration that works are somehow tied to justification, and that we are not justified by faith alone. But as we will see, James and Paul do not contradict each other. In fact, when James’s assertion is put in its proper context, there is nothing whatsoever in James 2 which conflicts with the doctrine of justification sola fide.

In this series, we have been making our way through the opening two chapters of the Epistle of James, and we now come to the second half of James chapter 2. I have mentioned throughout our series that this section of James is somewhat of a sore spot to confessional Protestants who champion Paul’s doctrine of justification. One reason for this is because when addressing justification, the Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent (Canon X)–Rome’s official response to the Protestant Reformation–teach that justification is a day to day process, depending upon how effectively people submit themselves to God’s grace so that they increase their justification over time, and hopefully, attain final justification. James 2:24 is cited by The Council of Trent as a proof-text supporting Rome’s view that justification is a process connected to the merit of our good works.

Granted, at first glance, James seems to be saying something quite different than Paul. And those who oppose the Reformation doctrine of justification often seize upon comments made by James in this chapter to prove that we are not justified by faith alone, but that we are justified by faith plus continual inward transformation, and the performance of good works which merit (earn) a reward from God.

Why Does James Say Something Which Appears to Contradict Paul?

Let me be clear here. Yes, James is saying something quite different from what Paul is saying. But James is not contradicting Paul. The two men are addressing two completely different issues. We need to keep this critical point in mind as we proceed. Recall that in our first essay on James, I labored to establish the fact that James wrote this epistle sometime in the mid 40's of the first century-likely the earliest book of the New Testament. Understanding the context in which it was written and then keeping in mind the specific issue which James is addressing, is the key to understanding James’s teaching on justification. When these factors are in place, the supposed controversy between James and Paul, and the apparent contradiction between James 2:24 and passages like Galatians 2:16 and Romans 3:28, is easily resolved. In fact, there is no contradiction, since James is addressing a completely different matter than Paul.

The Verdict of the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15)

There are three key points we have established in our series so far. First, James writes this epistle several years before the controversy broke out in Asia Minor between Jewish and Gentile Christians over the role of the ceremonial law in the justification of sinners. As we saw in Acts 15 when the Jerusalem Council convened (about 49 CE), James, Peter, and Paul (along with all the elders of the church) were of one mind and voice in teaching that Gentiles are saved by God’s grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, just as Jews were saved.

This means that elsewhere in the New Testament (outside the Epistle of James), we have iron-clad evidence that the church was in full agreement regarding the doctrine of justification sola fide. Christ saves us by grace, through faith, from beginning to end. Jesus does not give us incremental grace through the sacraments of the Roman church so that we can improve ourselves and thereby earn a right-standing before God as Rome teaches. Given the fact that the apostles were in agreement about this critical doctrine in Acts 15, and since we affirm the inspiration of Scripture, we cannot interpret James in such a way as to contradict Paul, or vice-versa.

James’s Audience – Jewish Christians in Palestine

A second fact to consider is James’s purpose in writing this letter. James is writing to Jewish Christians in Palestine and Syria who were enduring difficult times and facing great persecution. Paul’s letter to the Book of Galatians was written in 48 CE, after the controversy over justification broke out in Asia Minor. James is writing to Jewish Christians with the intent of exhorting them to put their faith in Christ into practice. James is concerned that people in the churches to whom he was writing were professing to have faith in Christ but are not acting in a way consistent with their profession. They were mistreating the poor and favoring the rich (among other things). James exhorts his audience not to be mere hearers of the word, but to do the word (obey) once they’ve heard it. Therefore, it would only be natural for James to appeal to the account of Abraham, pointing out that he believed God but that his faith in the promise (and he was justified) was subsequently confirmed by the fact that he actually took Isaac up on the mountain to sacrifice him when God commanded him to. Abraham believed the promise, but confirmed his faith by works.

Gentiles Need Not Live as Jewish Proselytes in Order to Be Justified

Paul, on the other hand, is writing to address a controversy which James and the other apostles had already addressed at the Jerusalem Council, where James stood up and declared “my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood.” After the Jerusalem council issued their decision, “certain men” made their way into Galatia and were arguing that Gentiles needed to become practicing Jews (proselytes) when they came to faith in Christ. While contradicting James and the rest of the apostles, but claiming to have their blessing, these so-called “Judaizers” were insisting that Gentiles must keep the dietary laws, observe the feast days, and undergo circumcision in order to be justified. Yes, they must believe in Jesus (the Jewish Messiah), but they must live as Jews.

James has already declared that as a result of “turning to God,” Gentiles ought to avoid doing those things which offended their Jewish brethren. Paul’s anger toward the Judaizer’s heresy presupposes Paul’s agreement with James, Peter, and all the elders, that Gentiles are justified by grace through faith in Christ. Therefore, in his letter to the Galatians, Paul lets the Judaizers have it. He calls their teaching a false gospel, and anathematizes them because they are teaching something which the entire church had condemned. He demanded that they stop. In such a case, it is vital that Paul tell Gentiles in Galatia how they are justified before God–through the merits of Christ, received through faith alone apart from any works of law (circumcision, dietary laws, etc). With this teaching as spelled out in the Jerusalem Council, James is fully in agreement. To ignore this fact and pit James against Paul is to do great violence to the word of God.

Those to Whom James Is Writing Are Already Christians

A third thing to consider is that James has already told us in this same chapter (verse 1), that he is writing to people who “hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.” James is writing to Christians–people who according to James 1:18, have already been brought forth by God through the word of truth (the gospel). These are people in whom the word has already been implanted (1:21), and people who receive that word humbly when it comes to them. These are people for whom the law is no longer a standard of judgment and condemnation but is now a law of liberty, which those who are truly Christians obey, because they trust in Christ who has fulfilled all of God’s commandments, and who died for all those times they transgressed the law of God. This is why James can demonstrate to us in verse 10 that the law renders all of us transgressors because we cannot keep it, and then turn right around and go on to speak of the law as a “law of liberty” because we have been shown mercy, and in turn, we must show that mercy to others. All of this is related to James’s primary purpose in writing–we must not only hear the word of God, we must put it into practice and be “doers” of that word.

This means that before James even takes up the subject of justification, we must understand that he is addressing an entirely different issue than Paul is addressing. Paul is refuting false teachers who were adding works of law to faith as a condition of justification. James is writing before that controversy even broke out. He is exhorting Jewish Christians to obey the word which has brought them forth, which has been implanted in them, and which they receive with humility. There can be no doubt from the preceding verses that James assumes that those in his audience are already Christians. This means that James is writing to people who profess faith in Christ, and who need to accompany that profession of faith with good works. James is speaking to those in the churches who have been showing favoritism to the rich, and discriminating against the poor, conduct inconsistent with their profession.

So, James is not addressing the same question Paul is–“how do Gentiles become Christians?” And “do they need to trust in Christ and then undergo circumcision in order to be justified?” Paul says good works have no place whatsoever when it comes to the ground of our justification. No, says Paul, the only basis upon which we can be justified are the merits of Christ (his sinless life, his sacrifice for sin on the cross, his bodily resurrection from the dead) received through faith. James, on the other hand, is dealing with the question as to how can we tell if someone truly has faith in Jesus. James’s readers must be aware that good works will accompany their profession of faith in Christ, if that profession is genuine. James is saying nothing more, but certainly, nothing less.

Justifying Faith and Its Fruit

But in no sense whatsoever does James contradict Paul (or vice-versa). In fact, as we see in Ephesians 2:8-10, Paul agrees with James. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Every point in Paul’s assertion we have already found in the Book of James. Faith in Christ precedes good works. But faith in Christ, if it be genuine, will produce good works. Good works are not the ground of our justification before God. Rather good works are the fruit of a faith which has already justified the one doing the good works. Get this one right and the New Testament will make perfect sense. Miss this one, and suddenly everything associated with the gospel becomes muddy—even self-contradictory.

With this important background in our minds, we now turn to our text, James 2:14-26. In this section of chapter 2, James makes a general appeal to his readers that when someone claims to have faith and there are no accompanying good works, their so-called “faith” can be called into question. James moves on to give an illustration in verses 15-16 drawn from the earlier discussion in chapter 2 about discriminating against the poor and favoring the rich. In verse 17 he offers up the conclusion that faith without works is dead. Then, in verses 18-19 James connects faith and works, as cause and effect–saving faith produces good works. James then appeals to the examples of Abraham and Rahab, sandwiched around his main premise in verse 24–“You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.”

In this section, James makes his main point in three different ways. (1) Faith, if not accompanied by works is dead (v. 17). Faith without works is useless (v. 20). (2) Faith without works is not a living (or justifying) faith (v. 26).[1] (3) James’s primary point is simply this–genuine faith leads to the performance of good works. And for clarity, we should add a fourth. (4) Those works which flow out of faith do not contribute to our justification. To put it another way–a person who claims to be a Christian (and professes faith in the Lord of glory) will demonstrate that faith to be genuine through the performance of good works.

In verses 1-13 James addressed the matter of the sin involved in discriminating against the poor and showing favoritism to the rich. James moves on in verses 15-16 to offer an illustration loosely tied to these previous verses. This tells us that James’s discussion about faith, justification, and good works, is a response to those who hear, but don’t do, as well as a warning to those who claim to have faith in the Lord of glory, but who then discriminate against the poor or show favoritism to the rich. James is obviously concerned that there are people who had made a profession of faith in Christ, but who still behave like non-Christians. This is the issue he is addressing as we go through the following.

The Necessity and Role of Good Works

In verse 14, James writes “what good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?” Notice, James addresses his audience as “brothers.” This indicates that he assumes that his readers who have true faith are already justified! His question is clearly aimed at those who have made a profession of faith in Christ, but who continue to wear their soiled clothing (sin), who favor the rich and discriminate against the poor, who show no interest in taming their tongues, and who behave in a worldly manner (the latter two items being themes in the next chapter). James asks his first question directly– “What about those who claim to have faith, but have no works?”

Make no mistake about it, in asking this question, James is connecting genuine faith with good works in a cause and effect relationship. His question implies the following–if genuine faith in Christ is present, good works will also be present. This is because true faith in Christ also produces good works. In the second question, James presses home the obvious conclusion. Can the so-called “faith” of someone who has no good works, actually save them? The answer is “no.” Those whom God calls forth through the word have the word implanted in them. That word produces a living faith. A living faith trusts Christ and results in the good works James expects. But someone who claims to have faith, without any accompanying works, demonstrates that they don’t have true faith, and never have had true faith.

That James is dealing with those in the church who make a profession of faith but show no signs of actually following Jesus becomes clear. Says James, “if a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, `Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?” As we see throughout this epistle, James’s comments here reflect the teaching of Jesus–in this case Matthew 25:42-43, when Jesus says “for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’” As James frames the matter, when a Christian sees someone in desperate need, and does nothing about that need, except to pronounce a flippant and trite greeting, James asks “what good is that?” This is but another way of asking if a person who ignores the suffering of his brethren has a genuine (justifying) faith in Christ.

Dead Faith

James’s response to someone who does this is given in verse 17. “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” The moral to the story is that someone who won’t help a brother or sister in a time of crisis is acting in such a way that we may question whether or not they’ve ever exercised saving faith in the first place. No doubt about it, a profession of faith, without any accompanying works, is not a credible profession. A true faith is not a “stand alone” faith. A true faith is accompanied by good works. In fact, a true faith (trust) in Christ produces good works. This is why James can be so emphatic about the fact that someone who claims to have faith, but lets his brother and sister go unclothed and hungry, may not have true faith.

To sharpen the point, in verse 18 James speaks of the objection raised by a hypothetical questioner who doesn’t see any necessary connection between the presence of faith in Christ and the presence of good works. “But someone will say, `You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” James simply will not allow for the possibility that someone can have a truth faith without works, or (on the flip-side) that there can be someone who has genuine good works which don’t spring from faith. The two (faith and works) are inseparable and the relationship between them is crystal clear. A genuine faith is the cause of good works (the effect). And works done apart from faith are not good because they remain tainted by the doer’s sinfulness. The presence of good works is the sign that faith is genuine.

The “Faith” of Demons

In verse 19, James now mocks his hypothetical questioner (“someone will say . . .”) by comparing their faith to the faith of demons. “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” Since even a demon believes that there is one God–in the sense of assenting to the truth of the proposition that there is one God who will certainly punish them eternally on the last day (causing them to “shudder”)–what is the difference between what demons believe about God, and what a professing Christian believes, if that so-called faith never leads to the production of good works? Christians may give assent to the truth–they believe every article of the Creed to be true–but they never truly trust Christ, never allow what is in their heads to make its way into their hearts and then into their lives. Someone can believe the right things about God and yet not possess genuine faith. The standard which James applies throughout this epistle to tell “which is which,” (which is genuine faith, which is a mere profession of faith) is the presence of good works. As James sees it, if faith is genuine, good works will be present. To put into the context of James’s epistle, the faith which justifies will not discriminate against the poor, favor the rich, nor ignore the naked and hungry who profess the name of Christ.

The Example of Abraham?

Continuing to spar with the hypothetical questioner from verse 18, in verses 20-21 James goes on to point them in the direction of the Old Testament, specifically to Abraham, “the man of faith.” Says James, “Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?” The proof to the person foolish enough to claim that faith without works is still a genuine faith is the story of Abraham. Every Jew knew this story, so it is only natural that James would direct his reader to Abraham for the proof that trust in God’s promise manifests itself in action.

As is clear from Genesis 15:6, Abraham believed God’s promise, and Abraham was reckoned as righteous–i.e., he was declared to be right with God on the basis of the fact that God’s righteousness (as anticipated in the perfect obedience of Christ) was reckoned (credited, imputed, granted) to him through faith. “And [Abraham] believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.”

But the story of Abraham doesn’t end in Genesis 15. In Genesis 22, God commands Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. This was not only foreshadowing of the sacrifice of Christ (when the Father offers up his beloved son on Calvary) it is also a test of Abraham’s faith. What if Abraham had said, “I believe the promise,” but then did not do what God commanded him to do with Isaac. Would Abraham’s faith be genuine? Would it be the kind of faith which justifies? No. It would not be genuine faith at all because at the end of the day Abraham would have shown that he really didn’t trust God. But since Abraham did believe God, when commanded, he did exactly what God told him to do. He took Isaac up the mountain.

But what does James mean when he speaks of Abraham being justified by works? Here’s where context is everything. James is writing to Jewish Christians exhorting them to be doers of the word and not mere hearers only. Now he introduces Abraham as his prime example. Abraham’s faith in God’s promise manifested itself in action, and as a result, Abraham visibly demonstrated the righteousness that he had by faith. In other words, Abraham was justified (declared righteous) before God when he believed the promise (Genesis 15:6). But Abraham’s faith was confirmed (shown to be genuine) when he offered Isaac. Paul uses the word “justify” in the context of determining how sinners are declared righteous before God. James speaks of justification as the proof (confirmation) that Abraham’s faith was genuine. Abraham was justified before God when he believed God’s promise. But Abraham’s works justified him in the sense of confirming that his faith in YHWH was genuine.

Genuine Faith Raises the Knife

Not only is this a plausible way to understand the story of Abraham–where we see that faith leads to action–but this is what James has been arguing all along throughout this epistle. If you want to know what it means to be a doer of the word and not a mere hearer only, look to Abraham. Abraham was justified before God through faith. And the genuine nature of his faith was itself justified (confirmed) when he offered up Isaac.[2] How was Abraham justified?–by faith alone. How can we tell that Abraham’s faith was genuine–by good works.

Therefore, James is able to conclude in verses 22-23, “you see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.” James now points out what has been implied in this imaginary dialogue all along. Faith and works should not be pit against each other. Rather there is a cause and effect relationship. Because Abraham’s faith in the promise was genuine, his faith was “working along with his works” (there’s a word play in the Greek sentence here). Because Abraham’s faith was active (living) it resulted in good works which completed his faith. Like Paul, James can cite Genesis 15:6 and appeal to Abraham. Paul can appeal to the fact that Abraham was justified by faith before he was circumcised (to clobber the Judaizers–i.e. Romans 4:11), while James can appeal to the fact that Abraham was justified by his works because he believed the promise in such a way that he acted in faith when God commanded him to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham’s faith in the promise was justified (confirmed) by what he did, his good works.

Therefore, when James states in 2:24 that “you see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone,” we can now understand what James means. Paul is referring to how people become justified–apart from works. James is referring to how we know someone’s profession is genuine–the presence of good works demonstrate that faith is genuine. Once again, John Calvin absolutely nails it. “Paul contends that we are justified apart from the help of works, so James does not allow those who lack good works to be reckoned righteous.”[3] It is all a matter of perspective. How are people justified?–by faith alone. How do we tell if faith is genuine?–a person’s faith is justified by works.

Another Example – Rahab, A Gentile Prostitute

To further ram home the point, in verse 25, James takes up the story of Rahab. “And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?” Why Rahab, whose story is told in Joshua 2? Along with Abraham, Rahab was considered one of the most famous foreigners who identified themselves with Israel’s God.[4] When she hid Joshua’s spies from Jericho’s king, she did so because she had heard about all those things YHWH had done for Israel. Because she believed in YHWH, she hid the Israeli spies at the risk of her own life. No question about it, her faith in YHWH (through which she was justified before God) justified her before others, because she acted upon that faith. Even a Gentile prostitute who comes to faith in YHWH confirms the presence of faith through good works.

As James comes to the end of his argument in verse 26, his conclusion is almost anti-climatic. “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” Just as a corpse can do nothing when the spirit departs, so too someone who claims to have faith, but who does not have works, has dead faith (and is therefore not alive). But this is simply the negative way of re-stating the point James made back in 1:18. If God has brought us forth through the word, we have a living faith and we are justified before God apart from works. But if we have a living faith–given to us by God– we will also do good works, proving (justifying) that our faith is genuine.

A Justifying Faith Should Be Evident

As for application, it is all very simple. If we claim to have faith in the Lord of glory, then that faith will be proved genuine by our good works. If our faith is genuine, when the need arises we will care for the poor, clothe the naked, and feed the hungry. If our faith is genuine, we will strip off our sins, just as we take off our dirty clothes. If our faith is genuine, we will not discriminate against the poor, or show favoritism to the rich. If our faith is genuine, we will tame our tongues and not seek to be friends with the world. If our faith is genuine, we will not boast about tomorrow, and we’ll be patient in our suffering.

All of these matters are addressed by James in this epistle, and given as exhortations which Christians are to obey, because they already have faith in Christ. Because Jesus Christ has died for our sins (our infractions of the law) and because he has perfectly obeyed God’s commandments (fulfilling all righteousness), we are justified through our faith in Christ. But that faith in Christ is proved genuine when good works flow out of justifying faith. This is what James means when he says “faith apart from works is dead.” And nothing James says here contradicts anything said by Paul.

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[1] Moo, The Epistle of James, 119.

[2] See the discussion in; Moo, The Epistle of James, 132-136.

[3] Calvin, Institutes, 3.27.2.

[4] Moo, The Epistle of James, 143.